Never Alone
by HorntailBlood
Summary: The Dark Lord is dead and everyone is trying to start fresh. However, what if it had been George that died instead of Fred and what if the war isn't completely over?
1. A Day to be Remembered

_Disclaimer: I of course do not own Harry potter or any of the characters from the books.  
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_**What if it had been George who died instead of Fred? **_

The days after the battle seemed like years, and Fred had lost a part of him that would never be replaced. He had lost the only person in the world that truly understood him completely and through. Twins share a bond that is unlike any other relationship, and he would never again have his best friend and twin to laugh with again. From what Hermione could remember she had never seen Fred cry, except for maybe after Sirius was killed. Even then, she couldn't remember if he had truly shed a tear, at least in her presence. It was hardly like she ever expected him to cry in front of her though. They barely conversed.

Everyone thought that Hermione was in love, and destined to be with Ronald. In fact, she had thought so too until recently. The funeral was held two days after the battle ended, and when she laid eyes on Fred everything in her heart had changed. The smothered feelings that Hermione had for him were stirring once again. She had always had a small crush on the older brother; however, she was sadly rethinking her choice in Ron.

The funeral for George Weasley wasn't as sad as Hermione braced for. At least there wasn't as much sobbing as she expected. It really couldn't be all that sad though as they recalled on the memories of George's life including the times that just him and Fred had shared together. Hermione even saw him crack a smile, as he retold a tale of him and George testing out some Puking Pastilles on a couple of first years. It was the blossoming beginning to their joke shop. Shortly after the story though, he fell apart. It was a loss for everyone in the Weasley family, but no one could compare or understand what Fred was going through.

Hermione looked at her best friends, Ron's eyes were red and puffy while Harry just stared. There was no doubt that Harry still felt a tremendous guilt for the Weasley's loss. They tried to comfort Harry by reminding him that it was the war that caused the death, and not him. It never really seemed to soothe him much though.

"My brother and I shared a bond that was unlike anything I've ever known." Fred choked, bringing a hand through his short fiery hair.

"Him and I could just know what the other was thinking sometimes…" He trailed off this time, another smile flashing on his face at the memory.

The smile vanished as quickly as it came.

The service wasn't too long after Fred's speech. Everyone was there. Fred and George had quite the fame at Hogwarts during their time, and it definitely showed at the funeral. Flowers were all around the deceased red-haired boy and with a flash of sparks a tomb had stood where his body once lay. Fred knew it was just the way that he would want to be buried, flashy. He looked down at the tomb with a sad smile.

"Goodbye mate," he said, a tear falling from his face.

_Here lies George Weasley_

_A brave and funny man, wonderful brother, and precious son._

Back at the burrow everyone had calmed down some. Occasionally Mrs. Weasley would let out a heartbreaking sob, but the other members of the family now appeared to be all cried out. Hermione was sitting in a chair near the corner of the room. She was studying everyone, still mourning George but unsure of what to say to anyone. With a quick glance at Ron she shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to comfort him, but there was just more of a desire to comfort Fred. It was completely wrong though and she knew it. She was completely ashamed of herself. Her face burned at the thought of having an interest in Ron's older brother, especially at a time such as this. She looked around the room again hoping to change her focus. Percy sat of a sofa chatting quietly to Bill, Charlie occasionally mentioned things about dragons to no one in particular, and Ginny leaned against Harry. Hermione wasn't sure if she was awake or not, but she took notice to how Harry looked at Ginny. It was not the same as her and Ron.

Hermione couldn't stop glancing over at Fred. He was smiling and now telling everyone about another adventure him and George had at the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop. She only had caught the end of the story.

"…And the look they gave us was priceless, with his ear gone and all I guess it gave 'em a scare…" He trailed off again like he had at the funeral the day before. It was hard for him to accept that his brother was really gone. They were all like that though. It was as if everyone was just waiting for George to pop out of somewhere and it just turn out to be some big prank.

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**_A/N: Wow, I haven't written anything in forever so forgive me. I'd really appreciate reviews & things though. I'm really in love with this pairing and wanted to try out a story with them. I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going with this or where I'm going with this, especially if no one likes it, let me know what you think please! If people like it I'll keep writing (:_**


	2. Sailing Through Rough Waters

_**A/N: I put up this chapter since I got a review & some people subscribed. A few chapters are already done so if you review & such I'll be sure to update fast. Oh & I have a bad habit of rambling a little when I write. I don't know if it's a good thing or not. I'm trying though... Anyway, Enjoy! (:**  
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_4 Months Later_

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"Hermione, wake up." Ginny nudged the bushy-haired girl with her hand. Hermione stirred awake from the pressure on her shoulder.

"Mm?" She grumbled, pushing herself up so she was in a half-sitting position. She was now face to face with the youngest Weasley.

"Mum wants us downstairs early, Bill and Fleur are coming to visit and she wants us to help clean up or something." Ginny rolled her eyes at the thought while she brushed her hair. Hermione forced herself out of bed.

Ginny didn't have as much of a problem with Fleur anymore, but she still had a bad habit of treating Ginny and Hermione like they were children.

"Hurry, girls!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from downstairs and Ginny stomped out of the room.

"Well someone seems chipper this morning!" Hermione's heart thudded at the sound of Fred's voice, clearly laced with sarcasm. He was around the Burrow more now, but some days she still didn't see him. It wasn't like him to lock himself up in his room, but it still happened from time to time. There was just some days that he didn't feel like he could face the world. It was progress from the months before though when he almost never came out of his room.

"Oh, shut it you git." Ginny's voice seemed further away now, and Hermione rushed to get changed so she could get downstairs to help too.

She opened her door quickly and managed to hit Fred right in the face with it, hard.

"Ow…" He brought a hand to his nose, which was dripping blood.

The blush on Hermione's face must have made the blood on Fred's hand look dull in color.

"I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, instinctively reaching for her wand in her robe.

"Episkey!" She pointed the wand at his nose. If it were anyone else except Hermione, he would not trust them in repairing his nose. Also, he could have just fixed it himself. However, in a way, she always kind of fascinated him with her brilliance. Therefore, he completely trusted her with charms and spells.

"Thanks." Fred gave her a lopsided grin as his hand met his nose again, this time perfectly healed.

"Don't mention it." She tried to keep her voice calm even though her face still felt like it was burning. Just being near him made her entire body hot from nerves. The length of time they were just standing there was starting to get awkward. They both turned in opposite directions.

"Well, I'll see you"

"I better get going!"

They spoke at the same time, and it was the first time that Fred had let out a laugh in ages.

Fred had been caught off guard when Hermione came out of her room. He was debating whether wanted to go in and talk to her. She was one of the only people in the house that he wasn't related to, and he just needed someone. Only, it felt like a stupid idea to him because he never really talked to her much before that. Of course they talked, but they had never had an actual serious conversation with each other. He had flirted with her a few times though, before her and Ron had become an item. Fred knew that she never took him sincerely when he flirted. Not that he could really blame her. Him and George did have a reputation for being flirts. He sat on his bed with a sigh. His thoughts frequently went back to George in some way, but he knew that his brother wouldn't want him to sit around and be miserable forever. There was just such blankness without him, like missing half of your own soul.

Down in the kitchen the girls were talking fervently about Ginny's relationship with Harry. No one mentioned anything about Hermione and Ron. It was clear that the two of them had been drifting apart as lovers. They had talked it out a few nights before. The two decided that they jumped too fast on feelings that were made out of the fear of a fast approaching death. It was comforting during the war to seek love from someone, but now that it was over those feelings never seemed to exist. Ron didn't talk about it much after they both expressed their feelings, but they seemed to be mutual in that whatever they had felt before was gone. Right now it was awkward around him, but she was sure they would be back to friends soon enough, at least she hoped so.

After the talk with Ron it made her feel a little less guilty when she saw Fred and her heart thumped in her chest. She also felt more alone then ever now though. To make matters worse her parents were gone exploring Australia, unaware that she was ever a part of their life. The only family she had were in the Burrow.

"You seem distracted today, dear." Mrs. Weasley placed a hand on Hermione's arm.

She hadn't even noticed that she completely stopped cleaning and just stood there with her wand lifeless at her side.

"I was just thinking is all, I, uhh, a book I've been reading." The answer Hermione provided didn't make much sense, but Mrs. Weasley didn't bother to question her further. It seemed to put poor Molly a little down in the dumps that Ron and her didn't seem to be interested in one another anymore.

"As long as you feel all right," said Mrs. Weasley lightly as she resumed putting away the dishes with a wave of her wand.

There was an audible pop from outside and Ginny craned her neck to look out the window.

"Bill and Phle…Fleur are here, " she announced with a cough, hoping to cover up that she almost called her brother's wife Phlegm out of old habit. Her cheeks were tinged pink. Harry entered the room as Ginny was sneaking out of it.

"That's a nice color on you," he muttered, snaking an arm around her waist. He quick leaned down and kissed her hair before separating from her.

He and Ron had just gotten home from work.

Naturally, they had become Aurors just like they had wanted to back in Hogwarts. N.E.W.T.S. didn't matter much when they applied for the job. Once you defeat the greatest dark wizard of all time it entitles you for almost any job without many questions asked.

Ron was next to come into the kitchen.  
"I'm starving Mum, what's for dinner?" He asked, not even taking notice that his mother wasn't in the room anymore as he plopped himself at the table.

Mrs. Weasley had hurried outside to great Bill and Fleur and then ushered them into the house

"'Eermonie, Won, 'Arry!" Fleur greeted them as she entered the door. Hermione looked around the room to see that Ginny had apparently snuck out before her brother and his wife walked through the door. Her lips curled a little into a smile.

With a pop Fred had now joined them in the room.

"Hello Bill!" He gave his brother a slap on the back then turned his attention to Fleur. "And hello beautiful." He greeted, a sly smile across his lips as he brought Fleur's hand to his lips gently. "How's this ol' dog treatin' ya?"

Bill simply rolled his eyes at the ridiculous pun and pushed passed his brother although happy to see Fred act like himself.

"Your father will be home soon dears!" Mrs. Weasley beamed. Fleur had grown on her a bit now and didn't seem as irritated in her presence. "Ginny, will you please help me in the kitchen!"

"I 'ad almost forgotten about your little sister" Fleur said throatily, taking a seat at the table next to Bill.

"Thanks," mumbled Ginny as she entered back into the room.

Harry could practically hear his girlfriend roll her eyes and snickered. He tried to catch her eyes but she was so concentrated on what she was doing. He gave up his attempts and turned to converse with Ron and Hermione.

Ron knew Harry would kill him if he sat next to him, so he left a chairs room and sat down so Ginny would be able to sit next to Harry. It killed him to know his sister was often snogging on his best friend, but he usually ignored it and kept out of the way. It was weird for all the Weasley brothers to see Harry and Ginny together sometimes. They often didn't know whether to congratulate him for finding a girl, or knock him one because it was their little sister.

"Hello everyone!" A familiar voice rang through the kitchen as Mr. Weasley stepped out of the fireplace.

Now at the table sat the lot of them. Fred, Hermione, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Mrs. and Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Fleur.

With a flick of the wand food was hot on the table and chatter erupted.


	3. Seeking Comfort in Despair

After dinner when Bill and Fleur returned home and everyone went to bed Hermione still lay awake. Her thoughts were ripping her apart. Both Ron and Harry had jobs, but she did nothing. She was still studying and working on educating herself further, however, it just didn't seem to be enough. Everyone _did _something accept her.

Ginny went to school, and even Fred still worked even though she could see how much it pained him. In fact, Ginny was going to be going back to Hogwarts tomorrow and she had nearly forgotten. Once again, she was going to be alone in the room each night. With everything, Hermione felt so alone. There were no more adventures with her friends now that the Dark Lord was defeated. It was like there were just no need for her brains anymore.

Tomorrow, she decided, that she was going to set out for a job of some sort. Her dream was to restart S.P.E.W. but she needed to start somewhere before pursuing that.

Her thoughts were disturbed by a noise next door; in what she was sure was Fred's room. She decided to ignore it but when she heard a noise again three minutes later curiosity naturally got the best of her, as it always had before.

Quietly, she got up out of bed and snuck out to the hall. Hermione had taken a few steps toward his room before freezing.

_What am I doing? I can't just walk into his room. He doesn't even know me! _

Feeling, stupid she went to turn around and the wood made a loud creak. She froze again.

"'Ermonie?" A quiet whisper came from behind her, the voice of Fred. "What're you doing out there?"

"I…well…" She stammered. She had never been a good liar, and now she was unable to devise a good enough reason without spilling to him that she simply wanted to check on him.

"Do you want to come talk?" He tried to keep his voice steady even though he was shaky from nerves. Inside he was broken and he merely needed someone to talk to.

"Oh…well…Sure, I suppose." She felt like an idiot.

_Of course you want to talk to him, stop acting like a silly git._

She couldn't let him know the effect that he actually had on her.

With a few quiet steps she had made it into Fred's room and he shut the door behind her. He muttered a silencing charm on the room before padding back to his bed.

Fred saw her looking around his room and couldn't help but smile. No matter what it was she always was curious about everything.

Hermione had never been in his room before, at least in the past few months. It was very dark in the room and hard to see. However, she could still feel that she liked it, probably just because it was Fred's.

Originally, when Fred and George had moved into their flat above the joke shop this room was cleared. After George died Fred no longer wanted to live in the flat and had come back home. Even though George was gone now, he still faithfully opened the joke shop each day for his brother.

"I like this room," said Hermione, sitting down on the edge of Fred's bed. She wasn't really sure where to sit, and didn't want to sit too close to Fred and make him uncomfortable.

"I don't bite, much." One of his eyebrows was raised and a small smile played on his face as he watched her wring her hands. At his remark she scooted a little closer, but not much.

"W-what did you want to talk about?" For once in her life she felt stupid.

Talking to boys wasn't something that she was exceptionally good at. Although she had tried, it was not something that one could simply learn from a book.

"I dunno…I just didn't want to be alone." He admitted.

There was a hint of shyness in his voice, something that Hermione never heard before.

"Me neither." She said, her eyes pointing at her hands in her lap.

It was him that scooted closer to her this time, feeling that a two feet gap between them was a little much. Now they were less than a foot apart.

"Why don't you want to be alone?" He asked, the curiousness in his voice was detectable and reminded her of a small child. His guard was done, and he was vulnerable. There were no jokes hiding his emotions and for once he was being completely serious with her.

She didn't know how to answer without sounding foolish. The silence was starting to get awkward and she had to reply quickly.

"…Because I always feel that way now." It was the truth. She didn't know how to lie to him. Ron and Harry were always with each other from work and she was just around.

"I think I know what you mean." He looked at her in the darkness of his room. She was too nervous to meet his eye and her body was growing hot. In her heart she still had the silly girlish crush on Fred, and her heart was sure to remind her of it each time she got the courage to look at him.

"It's silly really, because there are always people here. Usually lots." She didn't know what to say to him. He didn't look as sad as months ago, but it was clear that he still was not over the death of his twin.

"You're right," he smiled; at least she thought he did.

It was hard to tell in the dark.

"You're always right actually, brilliant you are. George always talked about it." His breath hitched a little at the mention of his brother and Hermione scooted closer to him, closing the gap between them.

He rested his head down against hers for a moment, searching for comfort. Hermione was still taking in what he had said to her.

"George talked about me?" She asked, bewildered.

For years she was under the influence that the twins just accepted her, but never really paid much attention to her.

"Not badly of course, but yes. He thought you were brilliant, well, we both did…" His face was getting warm. "Normally he just brought up your name because he thought I fancied you. What an arse." He smiled at the memory.

She tried to keep calm but her heart thumped at the mention of her and fancy in the same sentence, especially coming from Fred.

_Stop being foolish_, the voice in her head warned.

"Why would he think that?" She asked, surprised at how smooth she actually sounded.

"Well, I did… fancy you." He shrugged his shoulders and she could hardly understand how he was so laid-back about all of this.

His own heart was pounding now.

"Wh-what?" She stammered.

While he seemed completely cool, she was his opposite, almost sweating from nerves.

His eyes were so used to the dark now he could almost make out her face completely. The expression she was making he found hilarious. He let out a soft laugh and reached over, messing up her hair playfully.

"Stop that!" She grumbled, trying to smooth back her curly frizzy hair. It was impossible and she gave up the attempt.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" There was a tinge of hurt in her voice, and Fred immediately sensed it.

"Because you and Ron…" He trailed off. "You two just seemed like, I don't know…everyone was convinced that you two were made for each other or somethin'. Mum was quite annoying about it actually. I personally disagreed and look who was right." His voice was a little bitter.

"You dated people." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Of course I did. Did you expect me to wait for you?" He asked.

She took a sharp breath. It was probably harmless, but what he said hurt.

It was a smack back into reality.

"…No, no…of course." Her voice was barely above a whisper now.

Fred reached over, brushing his fingers against her cheek. This was beyond selfish and she felt like a complete prat. She just was enthralled being near him, having him touch her. It was hardly anything, but better than her dreams.

"Fred?" She asked. All of the hurt melted away at his touch.

"Yeah?" His voice was deeper than before. He was growing tired.

"Are you, you know, okay?" She bit down on her lip, hoping she didn't cross a line.

"It's getting better." He could feel the pain in his throat. He wanted to let out the cry that was fighting its way through him, but refused in front of Hermione. In front of her, he wanted to be strong.

She nodded and lay back on his bed, growing tired also.

"I miss him so much sometimes, it's like missing a part of me." He was getting himself more choked up now. It was hard to be strong.

Hermione felt like this was private and something that he would never share with her. She felt like she was invading his thoughts. Her head was now whirling and she was thankful she was lying down.

"Why are you telling me all this?" She hoped the question wasn't offensive, but they had gone from never having a serious conversation, to this.

Fred lay back on the bed beside her like she had done moments before.

"I don't know." He admitted. Once again there was a dash of timidity in his voice. "I just… This feels completely natural with you."

A tear finally slid down his cheek and he felt stupid. He tried to be casual when he wiped it away. Luckily, Hermione wasn't facing him and didn't notice. Without thinking he reached out and took her hand in his.

"I've always had a small crush on you." She mumbled, not sure if he even heard her or not.

When he didn't say anything, she just assumed that he hadn't and didn't bring it up again. He had heard her. Hermione just couldn't see the satisfied smile that was on Fred's face. His heart soared, but he would be damned to admit it.

He was always a little jealous of Ron, and that was one of the reasons he teased him relentlessly. He truthfully would have liked to be a prefect, be as well known by Dumbledore (for something good), or to have greatly helped in defeating the Dark Lord. Fred was also jealous of the beautiful girl that always was by Ron's side, and at one point snogging him. Right now though, he was satisfied that this girl was lying with him and could practically hear George in his head saying: _way to go, mate!_

**A/N: Okay, so there's chapter three for ya! I'm hoping to get more reviews as this goes along & I'm hoping to get about one chapter a day up, or every other day. I'm going to try and update as much as I can for you guys (: Thanks so much for the reviews and everything. Remember to subscribe! I also need someone for Ron, anyone have an idea? **


	4. Learning of Romance and Jealousy

**A/N: This is the last pre-written one so the updates are going to be a little bit slower from now on. & By that I mean there won't be two a day I don't think ahaha. I just got over-excited... Anyway, the more reviews I get the more inspired I am to update (: Remember that! **

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"Fred, Mum needs you to come down and help her with… Bloody hell!" Ron was standing in Fred's doorway, his mouth agape at the sight in front of him.

Hermione was curled up against Fred's side, his arm underneath her head.

"Ron?" Fred shot up, accidentally waking up Hermione from the jolt of her head being thrown forward.

Fred's eyes narrowed at Ron. "Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"Haven't you heard of not getting cozy with your brother's old girlfriend?" Ron shot back, his eyes narrowing back at his older sibling.

"We were talking and fell asleep," replied Fred, now sitting at the edge of his bed. Hermione was sitting now too, completely mortified.

"Yeah, well whatever. Mum wants you downstairs." Ron scowled. As he left he was mumbling other words and profanities under his breath that neither Fred nor Hermione could hear.

"I'm sorry." They both said, a hint of color in Hermione's cheeks after speaking.

"It was an accident...I didn't mean to..." Hermione said, biting her lip as she pushed herself off the bed.

The word accident stung for Fred.

_Great, she regrets coming in here. _The thought bothered him.

He tried pretending it didn't faze him though as he got up behind her.

"I'll uh, see you later." Hermione mumbled, and Fred nodded as she left.

Once she was out of the room she heard the door close behind her. After a look over her shoulder at the door she sighed.

_Well, there goes any chance with him._

It wasn't like she could blame Ron for being annoyed with them. Did she really expect him to just accept that her and Fred could date with it not bothering Ron in the slightest? She felt foolish as she padded back to the room she shared with Ginny to get clothes for a shower. It was still early, so the bathroom wasn't going to be a disaster quite yet.

"Where were you this morning?" Ginny smirked as Hermione entered the room.

"Oh, you know…went for a walk." Hermione was a terrible liar. Her voice was still shaky from her wake up call.

"Yeah, to Fred's room." Ginny teased and slipped out the bedroom door before Hermione could retaliate.

"We're taking a trip to Diagon Alley today, Mum wants us to leave in an hour." She called, just before shutting the door and leaving Hermione alone.

_Guess I'm not job hunting today. _She thought, and nodded at what Ginny said even though the girl was already gone.

Hermione gathered her things for a shower, hoping the hot water would help to clear her head.

On the way out of the bathroom she had passed Fred. He gave her a polite smile but didn't acknowledge her further.

_God she's gorgeous._ His thoughts taunted him even more now. She was something he couldn't have and it was killing him.

. . .

Downstairs Ron was still fuming. He was forking eggs into his mouth like he would never have another meal again.

"You might want to slow down mate." Harry laughed, eating his own breakfast at a much slower pace. Ginny flashed a smile at her boyfriend when she walked in the room. She sat down beside him at the table and Mrs. Weasley created a plate for her daughter.

"What's your problem this morning?" Ginny raised her eyebrows at the sight of Ron. "Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?" She asked.

Harry smirked and tilted his head down to try and hide it.

Ron ignored his sister. Fred apparated into the room with a crack and Ron ate even faster.

"Ron, d'you reckon you should be eating that slow? Your food is going to get cold," said Fred, earning a snort from Ginny while Harry tilted his head even more to hide his face.

Fred walked over to his mother and leaned down to kiss her on the cheek.

"G'morning Mum."

"Hello Fred, sit down and eat. We should be leaving soon." She smiled at her son and a plate appeared for him on the table.

"Where's Hermione?" Harry asked before swallowing a mouthful of eggs.

"Charming…" Ginny said under her breath while she rolled her eyes at his table manners.

"Just got out of the shower." Fred answered Harry, taking a bite of bacon.

"You would know." Ron grumbled, pushing his empty plate away from him and stomping out of the room.

"What is his problem?" Ginny asked again.

Harry and Fred just shrugged.

Fred had turned his attention down to his food and kept quiet while Harry and Ginny talked. Mrs. Weasley finished her own breakfast and waved her wand so the dishes cleaned themselves. Fred excused himself from the table.

"I need to get to the shop a little early today," he said half-heartedly and fixing his tie.

"I'll be home for dinner." With another crack, he was gone.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes got a little teary as she hurriedly left the room. She still got choked up time to time at reminders of George. Sometimes just seeing Fred occasionally made her cry.

Hermione rushed down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Harry absentmindedly handed her a piece of toast as he, Ron, and Ginny made their way over to the fireplace. Hermione quickly thanked him, took a bite of the bread, and followed the rest of them to the fireplace.

"Why do I have to go anyway…?" Ron complained. "It's my day off and I'm not the one going back to Hogwarts."

"Stay home then." Mrs. Weasley glared at her youngest son before taking some floo powder in her hand.

Harry almost wanted to agree and stay home with him, but he also wanted to be with Ginny before she left tomorrow.

"Diagon Ally," said Mrs. Weasley, and with a flash of green flame she was gone.

Ron still didn't want to go, but he didn't want to sit home by himself either.

Ginny followed her, then Harry, Ron, and followed by Hermione.

After getting Ginny new secondhand robes, Hermione happily followed the family into Flourish & Botts.

Going into a bookstore always thrilled her, even the non-magical ones that she had to go to when she was with her parents.

_Not anymore_. The thought flashed across her mind and her mood was dampened.

She was never able to fix her parent's memory after removing herself from them and it was tearing her apart inside.

Recently she had become obsessed with spells and charms about the human mind, learning everything she could in the attempt make her parents remember her.

While Mrs. Weasley fused about trying to get Ginny's books, Hermione had snuck off to another part of the store to look for another book about memory spells However, she caught sight of a different book that sparked her interest: Romance for a Teenage Witch.

With raised eyebrows she flipped open the cover, unsure if it was a novel or an educational book.

"Who's that for?" Harry asked from behind her, wiggling his eyebrows.

She jumped and closed the book, quickly placing it back on the shelf.

"You startled me," she said, taking a step away from the book.

Harry let out a light laugh.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Ron." There was a sad smile on his face.

Hermione could tell that he truly felt sorry. He pulled her into a quick strong hug and let go.

"So, about that book…" He glanced around her at it and wiggled his eyebrows once again.

"Harry!" Hermione laughed and backhanded him playfully on the upper arm.

He rubbed his arm. A good-natured pout was tugging at his lips.

"Ginny is going to wonder where I went. Good luck with your romantic endeavors." He teased, flashing another small smile before walking off to find his girlfriend.

Hermione turned back and looked at the book longingly. Maybe it would be able to help her get closer to Fred at least.

_Don't be a baby just buy it._

She snatched the book off the shelf again and held it tight against her chest to hide the cover.

The line wasn't too long, and she could feel the color rise in her cheeks as she handed the money over to pay for it.

"Hot date tonight?" The clerk asked and she simply wanted to die on the spot.

Hermione didn't even answer as she took the bagged book and scurried out of the store.

The rest of the lot had just left and she walked quickly to catch up with them.

"Where've you been?" Ron looked back at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Just buying a book!" Her voice was higher than normal.

Ron just shook his head at her. "You and your books."

"Mum, can we stop in to say hello to Fred?" Ginny pointed to her brother's store and glanced over at Hermione with a goofy look on her face.

Ron rolled his eyes and walked faster passed the group.

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**Ooh is Ron jealous of Fred and Hermione? **

**review review review review ! :) Pretty pleasee! **


	5. Carved Words and New Options

**A/N: I needed to get some more plot info in the story so this chapter has a little bit of that in it. It's a little shorter than the others but not by much. Remember to review & subscribe! Thanks a lot guys (: **

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When the family got closer to Fred's store the first thing they noticed was a crack in the window.

When they got closer they saw it wasn't just a crack, but a message.

It spelled "Blood Traitor." Mrs. Weasley let out a small gasp and Harry scoffed.

"Stupid revolt groups." He mumbled, opening the door to the shop.

"Revolt groups?" Ginny questioned, following him inside.

Hermione didn't know much about the groups either. She just knew that a few of Voldemort's followers had survived and still tried to follow in their master's footsteps. Ron and Harry had been working with the other Auror's to catch them, but so far their attempts hadn't been all that successful.

It was hard to even tell where to begin. All of the death eaters were in hiding and the few things that happened couldn't be traced back to them.

Harry's grudge against Draco led him to believe that he had something behind it, but Ron disagreed.

Hermione traced the crack in the glass with her index finger before entering the store.

Weasleys Wizard Wheezes had to be the most crowded store in Diagon Alley. Hermione grinned at the sight of Fred showing some kids how the Headless Hats worked. She looked around to see the rest of the lot had went off in their own direction so she got up the courage to walk over to Fred. He pulled off the hat and his head was no longer invisible.

He noticed her walking over to him and grinned at her.

"Hey you." He opened his hand to reveal a few bright looking jellybeans. "Want to test out a new product?" He asked with a wink.

"I think I'll pass…" She touched one of the beans in his hand before looking back up at him.

There was no way she was trying one of their products again, especially after getting hit with the punching telescope a few years back.

"What are they anyway?" She asked.

"They turn the eater the color of the bean." He smirked, shoving the beans back into his pocket.

"You'd look nice neon blue." He gave her another wink and turned to see some kids playing around in another isle.

"Oi! You use it you buy it!" He called out, stomping off toward the children. Before he was out of sight he turned back to Hermione.

"I'll see you tonight." He flashed a smile and sped off again toward the kids.

Ginny coughed from behind her and Hermione quickly spun around.

"Ooh. What does that mean?" Ginny teased, a purple Pygmy Puff was on her shoulder.

The other Pygmy Puff that Ginny had bought, Arnold, was lost in the war. She had been upset about it, but Harry had apparently convinced her to finally buy a new one.

Hermione rolled her eyes at the younger girl.

"He was probably talking about tonight at dinner or something, how should I know?" She asked, even though what Fred said _was_ eating away at her.

Hermione didn't want to over-analyze what he had said, but it was hard to help.

_He couldn't have meant anything by it. _She thought, pursing her lips.

The Pygmy Puff had jumped around on Ginny's shoulders and caught Hermione's attention.

"What are you going to name it?" She asked.

"I'm going to name her Pie," she said. "She reminds me of a berry."

"I like that name," replied Hermione, even though it reminded her of how Ron called his owl Pig.

"Come on, Mum wants us to get out of here soon." Ginny told her, taking Hermione's arm and leading her to the front to pay for her new pet.

Fred waved goodbye to his family while his eyes lingered on Hermione as they left the store.

. . .

A little while after his family left Fred was able to roam around the store.

There was still an hour until he had to close up shop and he wasn't in the mood to try and make any new products. He still hadn't got his inspiration back since George.

Since there weren't many people left he figured Verity could handle the front and slipped into the back room.

He plopped himself down on a chair and placed his head in his hands.

_What am I going to do? _He thought, rolling his head from side to side.

He wanted to spend another night talking to Hermione. They had to wake up early to see Ginny off to Hogwarts though, and he knew that she wouldn't want to go to bed late.

Maybe he would be able to talk to her the night after. He felt foolish planning the next time that he would be able to talk to her, especially because he probably shouldn't be feeling like this about her in the first place.

It was his brother's ex-girlfriend and he was fantasizing and dreaming about her on a daily basis.

She was so perfect and she didn't even know. Her body was gorgeous; she was witty, funny, and just a down to earth person.

Fred couldn't think of a girl that he had ever wanted more than Hermione.

He had never had a problem getting a girl that he wanted either, but this was something completely new to him.

Getting this girl was more complicated, and it was real to him. She wasn't just a girl that he wanted to snog and fool around with.

He wanted to be with her, and make her happy.

Fred wanted to give her the perfect life.

She said that she had a small crush on him, or at least he thought she did. Now he wasn't sure if he had just dreamt of that or not.

Even if she did though, what would that do for him? Did that mean that they could just date?

Ron was still a problem and he wasn't sure if a crush was enough to make her fall.

All of these thoughts ran though his head making him feel like he had swallowed something from one of their Skiving Snackboxes.

"Mr. Weasley?" Verity's voice came from behind the closed door. She gave a few brisk knocks and Fred opened it for her.

"Are you all right?" She asked her eyebrows furrowed.

He half-smiled down at the blonde.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Wanna help me close up a little early? I'm starving." He asked, opening the door again to the front so they could close up.

"Of course," she replied, following him out the door. Fred pointed his wand toward the shelves and watched as they restocked and organized.

"What would I do without you?" He asked his wand. Verity giggled behind him.

"So since you're hungry, do you want to go and get something?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm.

Her hand was warm and comforting. His head was still spinning from all of his thoughts.  
"I told my Mum I would be home for dinner…" He trailed off, unsure if he wanted to go out with her or not. "Maybe another day?" He suggested.

"What about tomorrow?" She smiled and flipped her short hair behind her shoulder.

"I'll see what I can do." He smiled, trying to be polite.

_Hell, what could it hurt? She's not that bad looking._

"Great," she replied. "Accio coat." Her coat came towards her and she grabbed it, slipping it on.

"Tomorrow then." Verity flashed a bright smile before leaving the shop, leaving Fred there dumbstruck.

He never took much notice of her before, and usually she had flirted with George a lot.

Sometimes she flirted with him on accident thinking it was George though.

_Now she wants to go out with me? _He was confused, but shook it off.

He didn't know what to think about it, but she really wasn't all that bad. Especially since he didn't know what to do about Hermione.

On his way out of the shop he tried again to fix the cracked glass with his wand.

Each time he had tried the cracks got deeper and more noticeable. Whoever did this knew just how to boil his blood.

He gritted his teeth, reading the words Blood Traitor one last time before apparating home.


	6. No Way Out Now

**A/N: Okay so, here we go. A little more Fred & Hermione action. ;) **

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Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner while Hermione and Ginny helped set up the kitchen.

Ron and Harry were playing Wizards Chess in the den.

Fred apparated to his usual spot outside with a crack and Mr. Weasley came through the fireplace moments after Fred come through the door and up the stairs.

Hermione looked over at the clock with all the Weasleys on it. All of their names were on home now except for George's. His was on lost.

Hermione always had thought that lost mean in a maze, or that no one could find you.

In this case though, lost was the best option on the clock. They could take his name off the clock altogether, but no one seemed ready to do that yet.

"Hello everyone!" Mr. Weasley beamed at the household filled with people.

"Anything new happen today?" He asked, leaning over to kiss his wife.

"I got a new pet." Ginny took the Pygmy Puff from her shoulder and showed her father.

"That's nice!" He replied, reaching out to touch the purple creature.

"Its name is Pie," she said, placing it back on her shoulder.

"I learned all about these Muggle things called pot holders!" He exclaimed, waving at Harry when he entered the room.

Mr. Weasley immediately launched into a conversation with Harry and Hermione about pot holders and other Muggle utensils.

Fred apparated back into the kitchen with a crack just in time for dinner.

"How's your pet?" He asked, glancing at the purple puff on Ginny's shoulder.

"Good," replied Ginny, taking a large plate full of brisket and potatoes.

"Save some for the rest of us Ginny," Fred teased, taking his own plate before helping Harry with his from across the table.

"Shut up." Ginny glared at him before starting to eat.

Ron was already halfway done with his plate. He and Harry exchanged laughs while conversing in between bites.

Occasionally they would include Hermione or Ginny in their conversation.

Hermione, however, was simply moving food around on her plate, taking occasional bites.

Fred leaned over toward her.

"You okay?" He whispered, forking one of her carrots and popping it into his mouth with a playful grin.

Her head tilted back in a laugh and his grin widened.

He had the talent of making something so sweet seem like no big deal.

She was almost thankful, because she wouldn't have to answer to anyone later. It simply looked like he was stealing her food.

"Eat your own food." She pushed him away, taking a bite of one of her carrots so it looked like she was at least eating a little.

Everything was stressing her out so much that she wasn't even hungry.

She couldn't remember the last real full meal that she had.

No one noticed, she didn't think of it to even be that big of a deal.

After dinner Hermione said that she wasn't feeling rather well and headed up to the room early.

Hermione felt guilty that she wasn't spending time with Ginny, since she would be leaving for Hogwarts tomorrow.

It just wasn't in her to be around everyone right now though.

She felt like she was slipping deeper and deeper into a dark pit with no way out.

When she got to the room she lie down on the bed and set her wand on the nightstand.

There was no use for it right now. She was in no mood to do any magic.

Half of her life had been without magic and sometimes it was nice to take a break from it for a while.

After a few minutes of laying down her thoughts began to whirl in her head.

Thoughts about Ron bothered her the most.

The whole thing was so complicated to her. She had no idea how he felt and she was lonely without having him sometimes.

There was no question that she didn't have feelings for him any longer.

Everything had just gone so wrong though.

Everyone expected them to end up together. It was either going to be Ron or Harry and she ended up with Ron.

The more she thought about it the more it made sense to her.

She only thought she was in love with him because it was expected to be that way.

But Ron on the other hand, she had no idea what he felt. Maybe he really did love her, but just pretended it didn't bother him.

The guilt was eating her alive.

It was selfish that she was too afraid to ask him. She just didn't want any _more_ guilt on her shoulders about the entire thing.

Then there was Fred. He was just another addition to the mess.

Suddenly she was pulled from her thoughts and self-pity.

There were three knocks on the door and Hermione stiffened.

"Ginny?" She questioned, pushing her body up so she was sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Not quite," a deep voice filled her ears and automatically made her heart race.

Fred pushed the door open a crack and peered in, a smile on his light colored face.

"I just wanted to check on you," he admitted, slipping into the room and closing the door over behind him.

"Oh," she said, a little confused.

"Well thank you, I'm fine." She tried to sound reassuring. He didn't leave the room.

"You hardly ate anything tonight at supper." He sat down beside her on the bed.

Her body heated at his touch.

"I wasn't hungry," she mumbled.

"I'll make you something later. I bet you'll be hungry then," he said, knowing that he was a terrible cook but he'd be damned if he didn't try.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, laughing a little as if it was a joke.

"You don't deserve anything other than kindness," he answered, his brows furrowing at her behavior.

_Why does she think that I shouldn't be nice to her? _

The words carved into the glass of his store window flashed into his head. He wondered if she ever felt weird about being Muggle-born.

"Thanks Fred," she gave a half-hearted smile and looked down at the floor. "How long have I been up here?" She asked, having lost track of time in her thoughts.

"A little over a half hour. No one should be comin' up for a little while." He answered, standing up.

"You're leaving?" She asked, her voice was worried and she scrunched her face at how she must have sounded.

"Not if you don't want me to?" The tone of his voice rose at the end, making his sentence into a question.

"Can you stay?" She asked, feeling childish.

"Unless you want to go back down, then I don't want to keep you…" Hermione began to ramble and Fred let out a quiet laugh, sitting back beside her on the bed.

"I'll stay with you." His smile was warm and comforting.

It was hard to resist the urge to snuggle against him.

Hermonie leaned back against the wall and Fred followed her action. He snaked an arm around her lower waist, his fingers curling protectively around her side.

"How was your day at work?" She asked. Smalltalk was never one of her strong suits.

"It wasn't bad. I haven't figured out how to get that ruddy saying off of my glass though." He frowned, making semi-circles on her back with his thumb.

She was practically melting at his touch, but tried to keep her cool.

"I could read about it for you, and try to help?" She offered. It was the least she could do.

"You would be perfect to help me." He looked down at her from the corners of his eyes.

"I'm just worried about who wrote it." He admitted.

It was easy to just talk to her, and things slipped out that he never mentioned to anyone else. It felt good to be able to get things off of his chest though.

"Do you think it was a threat?" Her eyes widened at the thought.

"Nah, I don't think…"

Hermione didn't seem any more at ease by that answer.

"Who would want to hurt someone this devilishly handsome anyhow?" He smirked, brushing a piece of bushy hair from her pretty face.

His breathing became shallower and he wanted more than anything to lean down and capture her lips in his.

He fought his urges and tore his eyes away from her face.

"You are handsome, I suppose." She smiled, trying her best to flirt. She hadn't been able to even look at the book she bought today.

"You suppose?" He asked in fake surprise, giving her side a tickle with his fingers that were still around her.

Hermione let out a small laugh and pushed against him playfully.

"Stop it Fred," she warned, her nose crinkling from the laughter.

"You're cute when you're pretending to be mad," He whispered, leaning closer to her.

Her breath hitched in her throat and she could feel her skin prickle in goose bumps.

_Is he going to kiss me? _The thought flashed through her mind.

The stairs creaked from the hallway and Fred backed away from her.

Right now he couldn't afford to be caught getting comfy with her again. Not until things settled down a little more and they were able to work out whatever it was they had.

The footsteps were getting closer and Fred looked at the door then back at Hermione.

"If you can't sleep you know where to find me," He whispered into her ear and lightly brushed his lips against her temple.

She shivered, and he disappeared with a small pop.

Ginny entered the room with a questioning look at Hermione lying down on the bed. Her eyes were shut

To Ginny, she did look pretty sick.

She didn't know, however, that in fact this was the best Hermione had felt in a while.

Maybe Fred would be the one to pull her out of the dark hole she was slipping into.

Or, he could be the one to push her further in it then ever before.


	7. Lost Memories and New Threats

**A/N: Woo! More subscribers (: I'm so excited. Well I'm working on another chapter now so I hope you guys enjoy this one! & I'm watching Harry Potter because it's on ABC. They have a Harry Potter Weekend every time the wind blows...**

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Mrs. Weasley was the one to wake everyone up in the morning. Hermione awoke with a start from the knocking on the door of the room.

"You have to get up dearies! Ginny, you better be all packed!" Her voice warned through the wood of the door before she was off to wake up the rest of the crew.

Harry and Ron were next, and then Fred.

Mr. Weasley was already downstairs in the kitchen eating when the boys, Ginny, and Hermione got down there.

"Eat quickly, we don't want to be late." Mrs. Weasley had food on the table with the wave of her wand before sitting down to eat.

Fred pulled a chair up next to Hermione and took her plate.

He made sure to put a lot of food on it, and handed it back to her with a look she understood.

She knew that he wanted her to eat, but she didn't know how much she could.

With a tiny smile she took the plate and thanked him.

Everyone had already begun eating while she had only managed to move food around on her plate again. Her nerves were constantly getting the best of her.

Fred leaned down so his lips were just over an inch from her ear.

"I'll feed you myself if I have to." His tone was teasing but she knew that he was serious too.

"Ginny, go make sure that you have everything. We have to leave soon!" Mrs. Weasley called as Ginny excused herself from the table. Harry followed her up the stairs and Hermione could only imagine what they were doing up there.

Fred was obviously thinking the same thing as Hermione because when she glanced over at him, he waggled his eyebrows at her.

Quickly, she placed a hand over her mouth and looked away from him.

The table was filled with chatter again while Hermione nibbled on a piece of bacon.

Fred shot her a pointed look and she rolled her eyes in return before shoving a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

When she swallowed she stuck her tongue out at him.

He winked and returned back to his own food to eat.

To get to the train station the family was borrowing a car from the Ministry.

Mr. Weasley just enjoyed taking a car any chance he got because it was so Muggle related.

He was a lot higher up in the Ministry now though and it had been reformed since the war ended. There was no longer a department for Muggle-borns and Mr. Weasley wasn't a joke to people anymore. He had a legitimate ranking in the Ministry and held a respectable job as did Percy, Ron, and Harry.

Mr. Weasley was in charge of both his old department and a new one called the Department for Rights of Muggles and Muggle-borns.

Ron and Harry were of course Aurors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and Percy worked for the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Kingsley was of course and old family friend and everyone got along well in the Ministry.

Another plus was that Kingsley actually knew Percy's name and treated him like an equal human being.

When the family arrived at platform nine and three quarters the sight of the train stirred the hearts of Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  
Hogwarts had been the best and worst years of their lives and just the sight of the train was enough to bring back those memories.

Harry's eyes got watery at the thought of his first day to Hogwarts, unknowing the adventure that would be in store for him after stepping foot in that castle.

"Make sure to answer our letters." Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ginny so tight that Harry feared his girlfriend was going to be crushed.

When Mrs. Weasley let go, Harry took over in crushing her. His arms were wrapped around her so tight that he didn't want to ever let go.

There wasn't any threat at Hogwarts and it was under heavy protection, but the family still felt nervous at Ginny returning to school.

In the beginning of the Holiday Mrs. Weasley argued about letting her return at all.

Clearly, she had lost that argument.

After receiving hugs from her brothers, parents, her boyfriend, and best friend, Ginny boarded the train with a sad smile plastered to her face. It was bittersweet to be going back. She would miss Harry and everyone else terribly. There was no way that she wasn't going to return though. She wouldn't let the fear of what could happen get in the way of her future. This year was important for her too, because of her O.W.L.S

The whistle of the train filled the ears of the family and in minutes it was out of sight and on its way to a school the teens longed to go back to.

Harry put his arms around his two best friends and gave them a little squeeze before following Mr. and Mrs. Weasley out of the train station and back to the car.

Fred followed behind Hermione, yearning to reach out and grab her hand or touch her in some way.

Before they piled into the car she glanced over her shoulder at him and flashed a small smile.

. . .

Back at the Burrow Ron and Harry were planning on getting their own place. Hermione sat next to them, nervously thumbing though a book she wasn't paying attention to. It was hard to pay attention to something when her mind was once again whirling.

"Why do you want to move out?" She finally asked, glancing at the cover of her book.

"Just to get out on our own," replied Ron seemingly emotionless.

Harry gave his mate a questioning look before switching his gaze to Hermione.

"It's not a definite. We were just considering our options," he tried to make her fell better. Harry was observant in that he could tell the talk was bothering Hermione.

"Of course you're coming with us!" Harry placed his hand on her shoulder, smiling down at his longtime best friend.

"We couldn't just leave you," he added.

Ron stood up and glared at the two of them.

"Why not? She was able to leave me easily. Why can't we leave her?" He sneered at Hermione and removed himself from the room.

Harry looked back and forth between the two of them, trying to understand whatever he was missing.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Harry's tone was uncomfortable as he also got up and hurried after Ron.

As the two of them left Fred slipped into the room.

"Why so blue?" He smirked, seating himself directly beside her. Personal space was not being considered.

"Ron's still upset," she mumbled in response, flipping open the book again.

She didn't even bother to pretend she was reading it. Once and awhile she still glanced at it though.

Fred glanced down at the book with an amused look on his face.

"He'll get over it. Once he finds someone else to snog he'll go back to being your mate." A reassuring smile flashed across his face.

She tried to feel assured, but really didn't feel any better.

"At least I'm easily replaced," she sighed, knowing that she was being ridiculous.

"Nah, not at all." Fred threw an arm around her shoulders. "He's just too much of a git to have known what he got."

She didn't appear any happier and Fred's brows furrowed.

"Come on, smile for me." He was looking down at her eyes.

Her eyes were darting around the room to avoid looking directly at his.

She could already feel her face heating up and wanted to bolt out of the room and up the stairs to her bed.

He removed the arm from around her shoulders and scooted across the couch so the gap was friendly between them.

She opened her mouth to question him right as Ron and Harry scuffed back into the room.

Ron sat himself between her and Fred while Harry sat in a fluffy armchair.

Harry's eyebrows were raised at Hermione but she pretended not to notice him.

Fred was facing Ron with a goofy look on her face.

"If you wanted to sit on my lap ickle Ronnie all you had to do was ask," Fred was devilishly grinning at his younger brother.

Ron shot Fred a glare that would have made him drop dead if looks could kill.

It didn't seem to faze Fred in the slightest.

"Oh shut it will you?" Ron told him, but couldn't help cracking a smile at his older brother.

"I'll leave you three alone," Fred got up and bothered his brother once more before disapparating from the room.

The CRACK noise made Hermione jump.

She twirled a piece of her hair, hoping that the boys didn't notice her.

Harry and Ron did notice, however, and both started to laugh simultaneously.

Ron and Harry started a conversation again as Hermione resumed her position with her nose in a book.

It was the book she had bought days earlier: Romance for a Teenage Witch.

However, she put a spell on the cover to make it into a title that everyone else would find boring. The title changed according to the person that read it, making it the most boring thing for that particular person. She felt a little proud of herself for the spell and held back a giggle when Ron commented it on it.

"Uck, how _are _you reading that?" He groaned, shaking his head before turning his attention away from the book.

"That really does look dull, Hermione." Harry agreed.

"It's not _that_ bad." She smirked, flipping to the next page.

The book was interesting and informative. There was a lot she could learn about boys through this. Hell, maybe it would mention why Ron was being such a bipolar Prat recently.

"So, did you hear how another vandalism occurred?" Ron asked Harry, leaning back on the couch to get comfortable while he flipped through the Daily Prophet.

"Yeah, another store in Diagon Alley right?" Harry was shaking his head from the thought.

He just hoped that whoever was doing these acts was harmless, and that it wouldn't escalate into something more violent.

Hermione leaned over to look at the paper in Ron's lap. He tilted it so she could see better and flashed her an apologetic look for how he acted before.

"Just wait until someone gets attacked. Then we'll never be home from work." Ron pressed his lips together and Harry gave him a look of disapproval as Hermione stiffened.

Being a Muggle-born, she would be one of the first to be attacked if there was another uprising from the supporters of Voldemort.

She remembered the feeling of the Cruciatus Curse and shivered.

Goosebumps rose on her arms and her blood chilled to ice.

The fear was instant at the thought of another uprising in which she was a clear target.

"Don't say that. No one is going to get attacked." Harry's voice was confident. He did his best not to let it falter, though he was thinking the same thing as Ron.

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**review review review review review ! There's not that many & I just love them 33333 **


	8. Old Friends to an Interview

**A/N: This one's pretty long (: & has some Fred & Hermione stuff! Yay. Remember to review & subscribe to make me happy.. Since I'm giving you such large chapters & such. ;) **

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Things were rather dull at the Weasley household.

Fred kept placing a rain check on his lunch date with Verity but she was getting harder and harder to put off.

She was starting to catch on and her work around the store was being affected by it. She seemed to be moving more sluggish lately.

Fred couldn't help but feel guilty.

Harry and Ron still hadn't moved out, but occasionally they would look at a place or two to stay.

It was hard for them to bring it up without Mrs. Weasley bursting into hysterics or Hermione getting touchy about it.

She was indecisive.

It was uncomfortable living there sometimes, but she didn't want to see Fred less either.

It was a little selfish really.

Percy was around the house a lot more now though and bringing Penelope whenever he came.

Somehow they managed to reunite recently and have been joined at the hip since.

Hermione found it cute that after all the time that passed they still were interested in one another.

Plus Percy was just a completely happier person when she was around.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were just happy that Percy was around the Burrow more.

Ever since he apologized and came back to being part of the family he was still a bit funny about coming home now and then.

Ron was convinced that he was ashamed to show his face still because he would be too after pulling a thing like that.

Hermione felt bad agreeing, but it made sense.

Also, after being beside George during the explosion, Hermione thought that Percy might be feeling immense guilt over his brother's death.

She felt sad even thinking about it, but she was just assuming.

It was a week before Ginny would be home for winter holiday and Mrs. Weasley was constantly on top of her boys to help around the house. She was much lighter on Harry and Hermione.

Harry was extremely thankful for it since he was so busy with work. There was more and more vandalism but still no attacks yet.

"Come on Fred, Ron, Harry you too!" Mrs. Weasley's voice could be heard though the entire house.

Hermione snickered as she heard Fred walk by her room grumbling under his breath.

It was almost eight o'clock and she figured that it was time for her to be up and about too. She had a job interview today at the Ministry and wanted to be there as soon as possible.

After taking a quick shower and getting properly dressed for an interview she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hello Hermione." Harry looked up at her from his plate at the table.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Ron questioned, his mouth full.

"You're disgusting Ron," she laughed and crinkled her nose at the display of his poor table manners.

She reckoned that she should be used to his table manners by now and took a seat beside him at the table.

"And I'm dressed like this because I'm going to the Ministry today."

"Oh yeah, the interview." Ron remembered, eating another piece of bacon.

"We could go to work with you." Harry suggested, clearing his plate.

Hermione nodded and ate a piece of toast with some eggs on it.

The plate automatically zoomed to the sink and began to wash itself.

He thought back to how the Dursleys used to make him clean the dishes by hand, before he even knew that he was a Wizard.

It was humorous to him and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What are you smiling at?" Ron questioned, his own plate zooming to the sink.

Harry's eyes darted over to his friend.

"Oh, nothing," his smile faded and he pushed himself away from the table.

"Let's say we get out of here before Mum makes us degnome the garden again or something." Ron's eyes were wide at the thought as he hustled out of the door, Harry and Hermione in toe.

They got to the edge of the yard before linking arms.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Ready." Hermione and Ron answered, exchanging smiles.

The Ministry was bustling full of Witches and Wizards along with some other creatures thrown into the mix.

Harry and Ron said their goodbyes to Hermione as they went to their floor and she went down to her interview.

The interview was going to be in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.

She had thought it would be her best bet to start there and work her way up to establish S.P.E.W. in the ministry.

**. . .**

After the interview she felt confident, but it could have gone better. She was thinking back and reviewing the answers she gave verses the answers that she could have given, ones that would be even better.

"How did it go?" Ron met her on her way out of the Ministry's doors.

"I should have answered this one question differently, and another question caught be completely off guard and I could have answered that one so much better too and…" She kept rambling on until Ron cut her off.

"Hermione!" He exclaimed.

She hadn't even notice that Harry had joined them while she was talking.

"You always second guess yourself and end up doing brilliant. Don't worry so much Hermione." Harry gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and a smile.

She couldn't help but agree. Every time she worried she did end up doing fine.

They apparated back to the burrow and she tried to stop worrying about the interview.

She would know how it went by post in the morning.

When the trio walked through the door half of the family was already sat around the table except for Ginny of course.

Even Bill and Fleur were over for dinner.

Mrs. Weasley made three chairs appear out of thin air along with three plates filled with food.

"How was work, boys?" Mr. Weasley inquired, his hands folded at the end of the table.

He was always genuinely interested about what they were doing, of course loving to throw some things he learned about Muggles into the conversation each time. He found out Hermione had gone for an interview and asked a little about that also while Mrs. Weasley exclaimed how proud she was of the three of them

Fred nudged Hermione with his leg under the table.

Instinctively she looked over at him and he winked.

She turned away but he felt accomplished by how her cheeks were a light pink color.

He barely caught a glimpse of it though, and wanted to bother her even more.

He nudged her again. This time, she didn't respond and continued eating as if nothing happened.

Fred tried again, and got the same response, or lack of one.

Next, he slipped his left hand under the table and brushed his fingertips along the side of her thigh, trying his best to act completely casual. No one was going to notice him anyway.

Everyone was conversing and looking either at their plates or the person they were talking to.

Since no one was talking to Fred at the moment, he was fine.

Mrs. Weasley, however, gave Hermione a questioning look.

Hermione just flashed her a quick smile then glared daggers at Fred when his mum turned away to talk to her husband.

"What _are_ you doing?" She whispered loudly. He raised his eyebrows at her while crooked smile was playing on his lips.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered coolly.

"I have something I'm working on that I want you to see later though." He made up an excuse for her to come up to his room, and a normal one in case anyone heard.

Her eyebrows came together in puzzlement.

What could he want to show her, and why? He never showed her any of his products before. It was a wonder he didn't try and test any of them on her. He tried at least one a week on Ron religiously. Occasionally Harry would fall for one or two of Fred's tricks too.

**. . .**

That night it wasn't hard for her to sneak out of her room and over to Fred's. Ginny wasn't there to sneak past and there wasn't many doors between Fred's and hers.

She only had to get past Harry's room and she knew he could care less what she was doing going in the older Weasley's room.

When a door creaked she froze in the hall.

It came from behind her.

Now she was right next to Fred's room and pressing herself against the wall beside his door.

Percy had come out of his old room and padded into the bathroom without even a glance in her direction.

Hermione let out a breath that she didn't know she was even holding.

She grabbed the cool knob of Fred's door and slipped inside once Percy was completely out of sight.

"I didn't think you were going to come," the whisper of Fred's deep voice came from across the room where his bed was.

His voice was groggy so she assumed he almost fell asleep.

"Sorry, Percy just gave me a scare," she told him, slowly walking in the direction of his voice and trying to avoid bumping into anything.

He mumbled a silencing charm around the room just in time for her to knock over a pile of books.

"Ouch!" She exclaimed while hopping up and down with the foot she didn't stub a toe on.

"You're so clumsy," he teased her, smiling in the dark.

"You _could_ turn on a light or something," she complained.

"I _could_, but someone might come check on me and wonder you're in here," He mused, sitting now with his arms behind him.

He could practically hear her rolling her eyes at him, but was unsure if she did or not.

Hermione finally reached his bed and crawled onto it. The room was so dark that her eyes couldn't even adjust.

"Now why am I in here?" She asked, clearly exasperated.

"Clearly to see the devilishly handsome man you fancy," He nudged her with his elbow.

Fred knew he was being completely relentless, not that he cared.

He enjoyed seeing her all worked up. It was an absolute turn on.

"You're ridiculous," she sighed, resting her head back on the wall behind her.

"I wish you'd've said I was crazy. Then I could say 'only for you'."

She wanted to laugh, but didn't let herself. Hermione pressed her lips together and pretended she didn't think he was funny.

He slid his arm around her like the week before, his fingers tickling her side until she finally let out the laugh she was holding back.

"I know you were holding that back." His voice was deep and she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck.

Goosebumps rose on her body and a chill went through her body.

"Does it bother you when I touch you?" His voice was still teasing as his fingers lightly brushed up and down her arm.

He felt her goosebumps and wondered where all of this confidence in him had come from.

Immediately his mind flashed to George. He was acting just like him.

George was better with girls. Fred was more witty.

His breathing quickened for a moment and his throat got tight before he got control back over himself.

"Are you okay, Fred?" Hermione asked, looking up at the figure of the boy next to her.

"Yeah, I'm fine… sorry." His voice was slightly husky.

She rested her head down on his shoulder and breathed in the scent of him.

Every thing about him was comforting and she could feel her eyes getting heavier.

"You know I fancy you, right?" He asked her softly, his fingers her brushing against the soft skin on her neck.

"I was hoping," she replied simply, her stomach was in knots from nerves.

He constantly had that affect on her, and she wished she could just get used to him.

Every thing about him was so new and different all of the time though. His personality was so unique.

Fred was able to be both so funny and witty, but serious and sincere at the same time.

She thought back to when he used to flirt with her.

Of course she never took it seriously, but only because her self-esteem was too low to even imagine a man like him taking interest in her.

"I want to be with you, when it's possible." He told her and brought his fingers under her chin.

He lifted her head gently and touched their foreheads together.

"I just don't know when it would be appropriate to be with you, formally…. because of Ron and all," he explained, shutting his eyes for a moment. "Just know how much I care about you, 'Ermonie. I don't want to cause any problems in your life, and I never want to put you in any kind of danger." His tone was steady and sincere.

"Danger?" She questioned his choice of words.

"I don't know what's going to happen, but this group, this revolt or whatever it is…" He trailed off and pulled his forehead back from hers.

Before talking again he placed a light kiss on her forehead, then rested his forehead back against hers once again.

"I really would go completely mad if anything happened to you," he told her. "You're the only thing that keeps me sane anymore, without George." He stopped talking before he made himself upset again.

Hermione turned to him and wrapped her arms tightly around him.

She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and let out a small sigh.

"I need you in my life," he whispered so softly she hardly heard it.

"I need you too Fred."

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**give me an R give me a E give me a V give me a I give me a E give me a W! What does that spell? REVIEW! (: **


	9. Attack and Defense

**A/N: Hey guys! I managed to get this chapter and most of the next one written. I feel like this one is a little repetitive with Hermione & Fred, but I'm working on it. I'm just trying to write this so it's realistic. & Review please! Maybe CC? Just don't flame me please, thanks! **

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Hermione heard the screech of the owl in the morning and rushed down the stairs at the speed of light.

"Oh, the post is here!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed. She jumped at how fast Hermione had snatched her letter from the Ministry and opened it. It startled her at first but she couldn't help but snicker at the young girl's eagerness.

"Oh I hope it's good." She thought out loud, while Ron, Harry, and Fred entered the room.

Harry and Ron exchanged knowing looks toward one another and Ron couldn't help but roll his eyes at her, which made Harry laugh. The boys all sat down at the table. Fred was looking at Hermione with raised eyebrows and an amused expression on her face.

"D'ya reckon she even knows we're all in here?" He asked out loud, earning a snort from Harry and a shrug from Ron.

"Prolly not, she's probably so absorbed in her reading that…" Hermione cut off Ron's sentence.

"I got the job!" She yelled, almost jumping up and down.

"That's great!" said Harry, always encouraging.

Mrs. Weasley threw her arms up to hug her before working on breakfast for her sons. Hermione was positive that without her they would all starve to death.

"No one was that excited when I got a job," complained Ron.

Hermione slapped him on the arm and he shot her a confused look.

"What?" He asked, with a mouthful of food.

"Be happy for me," she huffed, sitting down at the table with them. Fred nudged her foot under the table and she smiled.

"I start after Holiday," she told them, "I'm so excited to finally have a job!"

Harry congratulated her again before they all settled into their morning routine. A few hours passed and soon the boys were tossing around a quaffle while Hermione sat in the grass watching them. She had a book in her lap, but took breaks from reading to just enjoy being outside. The air was chilly, because Christmas was only days from now, but it was still refreshing. After a half hour of flying around the boys finally came down to rest by Hermione.

"Are you ever going to fly with us?" Ron asked, lying back in the dying grass.

"Maybe another day," her answer was indefinite.

Ron didn't look convinced but he apparently let it go. Fred started to tell Ron about a new store product he was working on. Hermione just sat and observed, but quickly noticed Harry acting peculiar. He was looking around the orchard, as if he was searching for something. After a few moments of that he stood up.

"I think we should go back." He said, helping the others to their feet.

"Why?" Fred asked, but took Harry's hand and stood up.

"Just a feeling. Your dad is home early from work," said Harry.

"I think we should go with it then," said Hermione nervously. "You're usually right."

Ron agreed with her and Fred simply shrugged. Harry grabbed Ron's arm and apparated. Hermione couldn't shake the grave feeling that was sweeping over her like a wave. Fred linked arms with Hermione and apparated also, following the two of them back to the house. Ron was the first through the door and he saw his father sitting at the table talking to his mother quietly.

"What happened?" asked Ron and Harry.

They gave the children questioning looks, wondering how they even knew something was wrong.

"We have to tell them," Arthur gave Molly an apologetic look.

Even if Harry and Ron were Aurors she still wanted to protect them from everything. Mrs. Weasley simply nodded her head and got up from the table to busy herself with something. She didn't need to hear the news again, especially being told to her sons and Harry, who was practically family also.

"There's been an attack," Mr. Weasley told them. "No one was killed, but the victim is in St. Mungos being treated for severe blood loss."

Hermione gasped and her eyes were wide.

"At least it was only one," said Ron.

"Who was the victim?" asked Harry.

"A Muggle-born, an older man, " Mr. Weasley was reluctant to answer him with Hermione in the room.

Fred instinctively took a step closer to Hermione. She looked extremely unstable although she tried to hide it. Truthfully he was afraid that she was going to fall over any second. He placed a steady arm around her small frame, squeezing her in a quick hug. His arm remained lingering around her side while the two of them still stood in the doorway, scarcely noticed.

"What's happening, at the Ministry?" asked Ron.

"They're looking into it now, and you and Harry are going to be summoned shortly," he said. "That's why I had to tell you."

"What about Hermione?" Ron's voice was concerned and high pitched.

Fred's arm dropped from her, grazing her back before returning to his side.

"She'll be safe for now here, if anything happens we'll move her to Bill's house," answered Mr. Weasley.

Hermione looked wide-eyed at them, completely bewildered.

"I don't want to put anyone in danger," she said, her voice was strained. "I'll leave, really."

"Where would you go?" asked Ron. He didn't want her to leave, but he also knew she had no where to go.

Arthur stood up, now facing her full on in the doorway. Fred rocked on his heels.

"We would never have you do that," he said. "You're part of our family Hermione. You aren't expected to leave."

The boys agreed with him in unison. Hermione bit her lip, a little too hard. She didn't want to cry and make a fool of herself like some blubbering idiot. Different emotions were flooding to her all at once, and the comfort of Fred was gone. He had left the room momentarily to find his mother.

"We have to leave, Ron," said Harry, getting up from his chair.

He had just finished reading the post Pig dropped off. The small owl was flapping cheerfully around their heads, clearly taking no notice of the dread in the room. It hooted before Ron swatted at it, grumbling about stupid owls. Mr. Weasley had sat back down. His face was drained of color.

"Be careful boys," he told them.

"We will Dad," Ron tried to smile convincingly at his father.

"It's not like we haven't faced worse," Harry said to Ron as they left the room to the fireplace. With a green flash they were gone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley looked paler than ghosts. They started to talk quietly amongst themselves again and Fred and Hermione were left standing there awkwardly. He placed his hand on the small of Hermione's back and led her up the stairs into her room.

"Are you okay?" He asked once she sat down on her bed.

Her bed was smaller than his and wouldn't fit the both of them. Clearly he could see that she was in no mood to perform magic so with a silent spell he made the bed larger. He sat beside her while his mind flashed to his brother and Harry. Thoughts of another brother dying buzzed around his head. He tried to focus on breathing and relax himself. Now wasn't the time to get Hermione anymore worked up, especially over what could be nothing. He tried to find comfort in other thoughts. The attack couldn't have been too serious since the person was not killed and it was only one. There were more voices downstairs now and he heard his other brothers along with Fleur's distinguishable voice. Hermione sniffled beside him and he turned to look at her. She quickly wiped her eyes.

"Nothing's going to happen to you," he said, hoping to reassure her.

"I'm not worried about me," she sniffled, feeling rather embarrassed.

He should have known that she wasn't worried about herself. She was always completely selfless about everything.

"No one will get hurt," he said. "It's probably some stupid group against Muggles. It happened before, a long time ago."

Fred laid his head on one of her pillows and pulled her down beside him. He lifted her so she was lying with half of her body on top of his. She couldn't help but admire his strength for a second. He wrapped his arms around her so his hands were on her back. Through his shirt he could feel a small amount of wetness seeping in. Knowing that she was crying broke his heart to pieces.

"Don't cry love," his voice was soft and barely above a whisper.

"Crying does make you feel better though," he mused, "So maybe you should get it all out, really."

She let out a sound that was both a sob and a laugh. Fred rubbed her back with his one hand while his other was in her hair resting on the back of her head. He slipped his hand under her loose-fitting shirt and traced shapes on the small of her back. She instantly relaxed at the touch and eventually the crying subsided. She still hiccuped ever so often. He kissed her hair, then her forehead. She was craving for comfort and love so there was no objections. Fred's affection was genuine, and real. All he wanted to do was keep her safe. Whatever she was feeling for him she never experienced before, and she wanted more. He removed his hands from their past locations and brought them to her face. He lifted her chin so he could see her face and gently wiped the wetness from under her eyes with his thumbs. Tenderly he leaned in and kissed her cheek softly, then the corner of her mouth.

"Just kiss me, Fred," she told him, breathing out a small laugh. Her eyes were looking steadily into his. Fred was now on his side with her body flush against his. There was a slight nod of his head and he leaned in, placing a hand on the back of her head before capturing her bottom lip between his. His eyes shut instinctively and her presence was making his adrenaline pump though his veins. At first it was a bit clumsy, and practically mashed together, but they recovered quickly. They weren't sure how much time passed during the kiss, but were so absorbed in it that they failed to notice a quick visitor.

Mrs. Weasley had opened the door a crack to check on Hermione and was greeted with the sight of her son with her. Realization hit Molly like a slap on the head. It was never Hermione and Ron that were meant to be together, and she finally understood Fred and his behavior while Ron was dating her. All along her son had been in love with this girl and she hadn't even noticed. She felt a bit foolish and she silently closed the door before returning to her husband to share the news. It made her stomach clench at the thought of anything happening to their Hermione. Mrs. Weasley was convinced, once again, Hermione would be formally part of the family one day.

When they separated from the kiss Fred lightly kissed her face a few more times. She enjoyed that he wasn't slobbering on her, and that he was in fact a fantastic kisser. It was a change from Ronald's kissing, and Vikor Krum couldn't hold a candle to Fred. The thought crossed her mind that he was clearly practiced, and wondered how many girls exactly he might have snogged. It took a moment to remind herself it wasn't important, and she pushed the thought out of her mind. Right now, she just wanted to be happy, if it was even possible. There was no way to tell what the next day would bring, and for now she was content in the arms of Fred.

"You know, I'll never let anything happen to you now right?" he asked.

"What would happen if I didn't kiss you?" her tone was amused and playful.

Her eyes were still watery, but she had to stay strong now. Crying once was enough.

"Are you actually joking with me? You? Hermione Granger?" He teased, his eyebrows raised and his smile mischievous.

She playfully rolled her eyes and rested her head on a pillow.

"You're perfect, you know," he whispered, taking her lips in a small kiss his time.

"Hardly," she replied when they separated. "But I'm glad you like it."

She smiled at him and tossed until she was comfortable. Her head was resting lightly on his chest. She could hear the steady beat of his heart and it was soothing. Her lids felt heavy and it was a fight to stay awake. It was a fight she was losing, and quickly accepted sleep. Fred kissed her hair and let his arm down, so his hand was at least touching her side. Her breathing evened and he was almost sure that she was asleep. It was hard for him to fall asleep because his mind was still buzzing. Finally, he allowed himself to doze off into a sleep, undisturbed by nightmares or restlessness.

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**okay so the next chapter will be more intense, be excited ;) **


	10. Closure with Death

The next morning, Ginny had arrived home early. Mrs. Weasley had gone to pick her up at the station alone because Mr. Weasley couldn't get out of work. The Ministry was in a complete uproar after the attack. Things had just been starting to settle down too, and it was almost the first anniversary of Voldemort's death.

Hermione shot up on the bed. She had just awoke from a nightmare and her skin was covered in a slight coat of sweat. Her mind was whirling with thoughts and trying to make sense of the could be more attacks on the anniversary, and that could be the plan the entire time. Of course this was going completely by chance though, and it was foolish to even pronounce her take on it to anyone at the time. It wouldn't be bad to maybe mention it to Fred, but she figured he had enough on his mind at the moment. The last thing she wanted to do was worry him even further. As if on cue he let out a soft groan and patted the spot where her sleeping body once lay. When he felt nothing but the bed sheets, his eyes cracked open. He didn't notice her sitting right away, and his stomach sunk for only a split second until he saw her.

"There you are," he breathed, sitting up so he was beside her.

His hair was messy and his shirt was a bit twisted on his frame.

"Morning," she smiled.

"How'd ya sleep?" he asked, flashing an infamous smile.

"Great," she answered simply, attempting to smooth out her wild hair.

Fred nodded his head before pushing himself up into a standing position. He looked down at her petite frame and didn't want to leave her. If it were up to him he would just stay with her all day and not let her out of his sight. However, he had other responsibilities and was still obliged to open his shop, now especially. It seemed that whenever something dark or terrible occurred more people would come to his store than ever, and he was constantly busy stocking up.

If only George were still around to help him.

He pressed his lips together tightly and looked at Hermione, giving her the best smile he could muster up. She opened her mouth, and closed it again to rethink what she wanted to say. It was clear that something was bothering him, but she wasn't sure if it was okay to ask or if it should just be left alone. After a moment, she decided that it was best to leave alone.

"I'll be home tonight before dinner," he started. "You'll be safe here, and if anything else happens I'll be home right away."

She could feel her heart hammering away in her chest. The thought of him leaving and being out and unprotected was almost completely unbearable. It was if he could read her thoughts how he sat back on the bed and embraced her gently. She rested her chin on his shoulder for a moment, before he pulled away.

"Every thing will be fine," he promised.

She couldn't will herself to say anything. The lump in her throat was throbbing but she couldn't cry again. Successfully she fought it. Fred flashed another smile, and kissed her gently on the lips before getting up again.

"I have to leave now, but I'll be back before you know it," he said. His voice was back to normal and contained the normal bounce that was often laced in it. Hermione simply nodded and watched as he left the room on foot. This time he didn't bother to apparate into his bedroom. He wasn't sure that he had the stomach for it right now.

In his bedroom he sunk onto his bed for a moment, letting his emotions get the best of him. Never in his life did he want to have the company of his brother as much as he did now. He knew times might get hard again, and now he lacked the playful banter with George to ease his stress. The feeling of loneliness was overwhelming and it took all of his effort to get up again and get his things together to leave for the store. Most of the day he would be creating more products up in the lofts. Almost all his time in the store was dedicated to that now, with his twin gone he had double the work. His heart was hardly in it anymore though. Of course he stilled loved the shop and pranking people, that would never die in him, but he just missed the other half to do those things with.

Now, he was looked at as an individual person, for his own traits. It was something he always longed for but bittersweet. People often look past individuality with twins. To everyone they were a package deal. Sometimes it was actually horrible having a twin and suddenly he was extremely angry with George. Girls swooned over them in school, but felt it was only because he was a twin sometimes. Girls would ask if they shared their girlfriends, or wanted to. The thought was completely revolting to them though, Fred especially. Girls actually thought that they had sex like it was a tag team? For Christ sakes they were brothers. George was the one who could take it as a joke, sometimes making it worse for them. Fred could pretend it didn't bother him, but he also didn't want girls to look at him like a package deal. Besides the fact that it was terribly disgusting he wanted girls to see just him sometimes.

He also wanted people to know that he enjoyed other things than just cracking jokes. No one knew that he actually liked to read, or that he was the one who taught Ron how to play wizards chess, and that he was the only one Ron couldn't beat. Everyone just saw him as one of the twins.

Fred Weasley.

Now he wasn't a twin.

Tears were streaming down his face at a steady rate. He remembered George asking him if he was okay during the attack of Hogwarts. Of course he lied. Neither of them was okay and both knew it. His mind was flashing images of the war, as much as he tried to fight it. The things you want to forget the most in life are the things you'll always be able to remember, and the things that will haunt you until you die.

Maybe even then, you'll still remember.

Fred's fists were pressed against his eyes so hard that he was seeing bright flashes of color against his lids. He needed to get himself together, and reached for his stuff before apparating to the flat above his store. He had no idea what had come over him.

Hermione heard the crack as he disapparated from the room just as she opened his door. She barely had caught a glimpse of him and he was gone.

At the flat his head continued to spin and pound with rage, fear, and grief. He was enraged at the death of his brother. He felt betrayed like George left him. He feared for another life of someone he loved being robbed, and he grieved for the loss that tore his heart apart each day. Everyone had seemed to move on past the death of his twin except for him. Of course he had Hermione, but he was more scared of that than anything. If anything were to happen to her, he would probably die of a broken heart, literally. Hermione and his remaining family were the only things keeping it beating anymore.

Fifteen minutes had gone by and he managed to get himself back together. His mind was no longer flooded with thoughts and he was starting to feel better.

He had been holding so much in, that it finally erupted.

"I'm sorry Georgie," he said out loud. His voice was hardly above a whisper. Suddenly, his body got extremely cold. Goosebumps rose over his skin and he involuntarily shuddered. As quick as it came, it went though and his body was warm once again.

"George?" He asked, needing something, anything to know that his brother was still with him.

Minutes passed and he felt foolish and disappointed, clearly waiting for nothing. Before he went down to the store he needed to wash his face. His eyes were more than likely bloodshot and his cheeks stained with tears. On the way to the toilet he passed George's room. Every thing in there was still untouched just the way his brother left it. He pushed the door open a crack to peak in. For a second, he thought he saw him, but simply caught a glimpse of himself in a mirror. Disappointment flooded over him once again and he let out a sigh. Before closing the door he noticed a glimmer of light reflecting off something. However, there was no sunlight entering the room. Curiously, he pushed the door back open and stepped inside the room. The object, which turned out to be a trinket of some sort, was no longer shining. It almost smelled like his brother in the room and he shut his eyes for a moment to pretend he was still with him. While his eyes were shut he felt a pressure on his shoulder, like a hand. He knew then, that he was not as alone as he thought.

Fred opened his eyes, and the weight was gone from his shoulder.

"I love you, George," he said quietly, before leaving the room and shutting the door again.

_**A/N: Okay, so this chapter didn't have as much action as I planned, & the next one will include more of the info with Voldemort's followers & such. I just wanted to get this chapter in because I felt it was finally time to get Fred's guilt and feelings out about George and resolve them. He sort of just needed closure with his brother. I'm also sorry about it being a little short. I really want to know what you guys think about the story. & Thanks to my readers that faithfully review. I love you all though (:  
**_


	11. Realizing Changes

**A/N: Okay, here's the update for today. I'm having a bit of a writers block for the next chapter though, and if anyone has any ideas please let me know. It'd be nice to know what you guys want to see more of in the story & I'd love to try & include it. Be sure to review & make me happy too! Love you guyss(: **

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Fred's mood elevated greatly after his visit to the loft. He was completely at ease and genuinely happy. After he left his brothers room he quickly reproduced products they were running low on. It was mostly the Skiving Snackbox items and Patented Day-Dream Charms that he had to produce. All he did was keep a stash of each and with a "Geminio!" the objects duplicated. A few more spells was all it took and they were down in the shop ready for sale.

Before going down to the shop he was starting his work on a new product. It was a way to talk to someone without actually speaking. His idea was that one could write something down on parchment, and it would be transferred to the person you wanted to communicate with. The only problem was interception, and he wasn't sure if he wanted it to be written, or thought. It was more difficult for thoughts to be intercepted than a piece of parchment. He wrote down his ideas hastily while sketching a prototype on another piece of parchment. There was crumpled parchment all over the living room of the loft by the time an hour passed. He felt like he hardly made any progress and made a mental note to ask Ron or Hermione their opinion on it. Typically, he didn't release what he was working on to them, before it was in its testing phase, but this was difficult. Hermione would be especially good at this kind of magic too. Fred shoved his work back in a box and slipped his wand into his robes. It was time for him to head down to the shop and help Verity.

It was around noon when he made his way into the main part of the store, waving to a few of the customers and flashing his infamous twin smile. The smile, in fact, hardly came off his face at all when he was around the store. As he roamed, he caught a glimpse of a light-haired girl trying out a Nosebleed Nougat. Fred handed her a handkerchief he pulled from his coat pocket. She was a younger girl, probably a fourth year at most. Her eyes were a striking green and she was quite pretty for her young age. If she were older she would have been exactly George's type.

"Make sure you don't bleed too long, but really make it convincing to get out of class," he told her with a wink. The tips of her ears were the same color as the blood after he winked.

It was still fun to have that effect on girls. To have that affect on Hermione though thrilled him more. His thoughts were back to her and he hoped that she was doing well. He could practically hear George now telling him how bad he had it for that girl.

Out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Verity. She had been snubbing him lately after he never took her up on the lunch offer. Of course he felt bad, and it wasn't really a date so what harm could it bring?

"Hey Verity!" He said loudly, walking briskly to catch up with her.

She turned to him, seemingly uninterested that he was trying to talk to her.

"How about that lunch today?" he asked, flashing his infamous smile once again

"I think I might have plans," she said, starting to walk away again.

It made him feel terrible. He didn't mean to blow her off for so long, and couldn't remember why he had in the first place. Months had passed though, and he felt like he had been a complete prat to her. His lips fell from the smile and in a nervous gesture he ran a hand through his short hair.

"Oh, maybe another time then," he said. She nodded and returned to her place at the register.

"I'm sorry, about pushing it off so much. Time just got away from me," His voice was sincere, and maybe she could tell because it seemed like her anger had washed away.

"After we close then?" She asked, raising her eyebrows ever so slightly.

"Brilliant."

Later in the afternoon Fred and Verity made their way to a café that was down the Alley from Weasleys Wizard Wheezes. He stopped for a moment and padded his coat to be sure he had his wand, money pouch, and store keys. Once he was sure he had everything he returned to Verity's side again. Her blonde hair looked even lighter in the sun. She walked gracefully and held herself well. It was easy to see why George had a thing for her. He started to wonder if she ever knew his brother liked her. She never could tell the difference between them visually, but if they spoke she knew. Fred was louder.

Fred knew he was the loud though and completely brash too on occasion. That's why it puzzled him that Hermione ever had a crush on him. He could understand George, but Fred was the complete opposite of her. It must be true that opposites attract.

They reached the café and sat down at a table. Fred thumbed through the menu, but decided on something simple. Immediately when he decided it appeared in front of him. Verity's food appeared a little after his. He didn't eat until she got her food, trying to remain a gentleman. All of a sudden it was like everything his mother tried to teach him when he was younger was now taking effect.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the thought of his mother's nagging over the years.

As Fred finished up his food he glanced up at Verity. She hadn't eaten a lot.

"I'm sorry again, about putting this off," he said.

"I understand," she said. "Time gets away from you sometimes."

He nodded in agreement and then pushed his plate away from him. It was reaction when he was done with something. The plate disappeared and a check appeared in its place. He thought about how fascinated Hermione would have been over it, and made a mental note to take her here sometime. It seemed like a kind of place she would like.

"You act like him more now, your personality…" Verity's voice was barely audible.

He had to think about what she said a few times to understand. She took the silence the wrong way and her cheeks turned completely red.  
"I'm so sorry, that was a stupid thing to say." She stammered, shaking her head at herself.

"No, it wasn't stupid," he told her.

It was interesting to him. He felt like he changed slightly, but never took much notice of it. After the death he calmed down a great deal, and was a little less torturous to his siblings.

"Did he ever mention me?" she asked.

"He fancied you... of course he did, " he told her.

It probably wasn't the best thing to say at the time, but he felt she deserved to know and move on.

"We went out a few times, but I was never sure. I never had the courage to ask if he fancied me," she admitted.

"He was _that_ intimidating?" he teased.

It was strange having no one to finish his sentence or banter along side him. He was still getting used to the feeling.

Fred placed the money for the bill on top of the check. It vanished with a small pop once the correct amount was paid.

The sun was starting to go down and he suddenly realized that he needed to be home.

"Blimey," he jumped up after noticing the position of the sun. "I need to be home, I should have been awhile ago. It completely slipped my mind!" His eyes were wide and she giggled at him.

"Get home then!" she exclaimed, still laughing.

"I'm so sorry, I'll see you tomorrow!" he smiled, and gave her a quick one-armed hug before disapparating from the café and back to the Burrow.

When he got though the door he could see everyone at the table. Ron and Bill didn't bother to look at him for more than a glance. However, Percy was eyeing the twin.

"Yes, Weatherby?" asked Fred, using the old nickname for his brother.

It was his and George's favorite nickname for him. It was hysterical to them how Crouch called him that and Percy never bothered to correct him. Plus, although he loved his brother, he was still a little annoyed at how much of a prat he was three years ago.

"Why are you so late?" asked Percy.

Hermione's eyes were on him now also. She was studying him, and it was making him nervous.

"Why are you so nosy?" Fred retorted, taking a seat next to Harry. It was the only open spot at the table.

Percy ignored the comment and returned to his dinner.

"Was the shop busy today?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Very," Fred replied.

"Why aren't you eating?" asked Ron.

"Why don't you ever _stop_ eating?" Hermione asked Ron.

The tips of Ron's ears turned a dark red. He was apparently already on his third helping of dinner.

"Oh, shut up." He told her.

She rolled her eyes. It got Fred out of the question though. He didn't know how to explain that he went out to lunch with Verity without it coming out sounding wrong. It wasn't a date, but his brothers would badger him about it regardless. If only he could be open about him and Hermione things would be a lot easier.

"Are you feeling all right, Fred?" Mrs. Weasley was charming the dishes to wash and put away themselves as the family started to finish their meals.

"I'm fine, Mum," he said.

"Our work was crazy today," Ron told them, trying to get his parent's attention. "Right Harry?" He looked to his mate, hoping Harry would help make it interesting.

"Huh? Oh…Yeah." Harry hadn't been paying attention. In fact, he was day-dreaming about Ron's sister. However, that was slightly awkward to mention.

"Every Auror was there today while we investigated the attack. We even got to see the victim and he's a bloody mess let me tell you." Ron spoke vividly about his workday while Mr. Weasley was the only one who seemed to remain interested.

There weren't any more attacks and that was mostly what everyone cared about.

Fleur got bored of the talk and stood up to help Mrs. Weasley clean up.

They had somehow taken a liking to one another and Mrs. Weasley enjoyed the company of the French girl. Mind, her accent was still sometimes tough to understand and she wondered how her son was able to do it.

Back at the table, Ginny spoke excitedly to Hermione about being offered a spot on the Holyhead Harpies once she graduates Hogwarts.

"They saw me play and everything!" She exclaimed, thinking back to the game weeks ago.

Harry smiled at the news again. She had apparently told him the first second she saw him. He could have been in Quidditch as well, but his dream to become an Auror took over.

"You better get us tickets to all of your games," said Fred, who had overheard the conversation.

"Of course I will!"

Ginny smiled brightly at her older brother. Secretly, Fred was her favorite. When she was younger she never understood why everyone wanted to be like Percy or Bill or Charlie.

She always wanted to be like Fred and George.


	12. The Monster Inside

**A/N: Okay so there's an f-bomb in this one, just letting you know ahead of time. I hope you like it! Please review (: **

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Fred sat in the living room after dinner, working again on forming a design for the product he wanted to make. It was a form of communication through writing and the Marauders Map and Riddle's diary inspired the design. He was inspired to make it because of the attack. It would be a quick and easy way to keep in touch with his family when he wasn't home, without having an owl crashing through their front door every hour. A lot of people would be in the same situation as him too, he figured, so the product would be popular. However, he just couldn't get the design of it down and what kind of magic he was going to use to create it. It had completely stumped him.

Ginny, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came into the living room about ten minutes after Fred entered.

The rest of the Weasley family still sat around the table talking, and more than likely keeping tabs on what was happening currently in the Wizarding World.

"What're you workin' on Freddie?" Ron slumped down onto the couch beside his brother. Ginny had cuddled herself up next to Harry on a separate couch. A blanket was hung loosely over the side and over Ginny's feet.

"Something for the shop," he replied monotonously, which only showed that he was concentrating hard on the design. It was rare that he would tell them what it was before he needed it to be tested. They weren't surprised at the vague answer he gave. A moment passed before he let out a groan of frustration and ignited the parchment with his wand. It burned for a second and disappeared in little bits. He dropped his self-inking quill onto the coffee table and threw his head back against the couch so he was looking straight up.

"Do you need help?" asked Hermione.

"That's a good idea," said Harry, glancing over at Fred. His hand was intertwined with Ginny's under the blanket. He still felt a little uncomfortable being openly affectionate with Ginny in front of her brothers. Sometimes he still thought that Ron was going to punch him or something. Fred would just tease him relentlessly, which was possibly even worse.

"Yeah, can you help me?" asked Fred.

"Sure, I just have to know what you're trying to do," she laughed.

"Can we go somewhere more private? I don't want to give away the surprise yet," he pushed all of his things back into a box and tucked it under his arm.

Hermione nodded and stood up. She tried to keep a poker face about the situation. On the inside she was giddy to get alone with him, but she tried to act casual as she followed the fiery-haired boy up the stairs to his room. She heard Ron ask Harry to play chess with him and felt accomplished that no one seemed to notice a thing. However, she was wondering why he had come home so late. It had worried her half to death and she wanted an explanation why.

Fred shut the door when Hermione entered the room and immediately pulled her against him. He dropped the box on his bed and enveloped her in his arms. He was only a few inches taller than her, and barely had to lean down to kiss her. His lips captured her bottom lip in a sweet quick kiss.

"I missed you," he said.

She smiled, but her face dropped.

"Why were you home so late?" she asked. "I was worried sick, Fred."

"Sorry, I went on a lunch date with Verity," he answered.

Fred realized that his choice of words was poor when Hermione's face changed from worried to angry.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

She was having a difficult time figuring out why he was going on dates and coming home to snog her. It wasn't official that her and Fred were together or anything, but she couldn't help but feel completely enraged at him. They were practically together, right? He kissed her and treated her fantastic when they were alone. But that was exactly it their relationship was a secret and maybe it didn't matter to him. She felt used, or unwanted, it was hard to tell. There were a lot of words that could describe her feelings; she just couldn't choose one that suited her most at the moment.

"I didn't mean a date," he tried fixing himself, but it was too late.

"What _did _you mean then, Fred?" she asked.

The fact that she was using his name was making him nervous. It reminded him of something his mother did when she was angry at him or George. He had seen her angry a few times, and she was like a little fireball. However, this had been the first time that she was truly angry with him. Of course him and George had got on her nerves a few times, but they were sure to never actually piss her off. It was something that they didn't want to experience, and Fred was about to.

"I just meant that we went out to lunch together. I had been pushing it off for awhile now and I just felt bad," he was talking quickly and trying to climb out of the hole he had dug for himself.

"Why would you say date then? Did you pay for her?" Her voice was elevating now and Fred's eyes were widening. The last thing he wanted was for his family to hear and get curious. He knew that he would have an Extendable Ear by this door in a heartbeat if it weren't already happening to him. Hermione didn't seem to care about her volume, and continued going at it with Fred.

"What do you do, Fred? Do you go to work and woo her and then come home and snog me, is that it Fred?" She was completely livid now, but she could feel tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Now wasn't the time to cry and she refused to let herself yet.

"Hermione no, you don't understand. I did pay for her, but I was only trying to be nice. I came home as soon as I realized how late it was. I left her there, it was a bit rude of me really." His voice was pleading but getting louder and he reached out to her, trying to take one of her hands in his. He had barely caught a feel of her soft hands before she pulled them from him. She kept her hands plastered to her sides now. It was frustrating him that she was being so difficult and not understanding.

"I understand completely, Fred." She huffed. "I'm like a spare to you. We're a secret, but that doesn't make it okay for you to be taking other girls out without even mentioning it to me. Were you even going to tell me?"

He had to think about it. Of course he was going to tell her, wasn't he? Now that he was thinking about it, he probably wouldn't have. The fact that he didn't want to tell her just meant that he clearly didn't approach the lunch in the correct way. Of course it was going to set Hermione off. However, she couldn't control his life for him. It was his decision and he hadn't done anything wrong. Now he was getting heated as well.

"You're not a spare Hermione, stop being foolish," his voice was starting to escalade too.

"Now I'm foolish?" She asked. Her voice was sour.

"No! Stop taking what I'm saying the wrong way!" He yelled, taking a step forward as she stepped back. They were perfectly in sync with each other.

"How am I supposed to take it then, Fred?" she asked, tilting her head up so her eyes were looking directly into his.

"Just stop being ridiculous," his voice was still raised. The whole household was probably listening to them right now.

"Why don't you just stop being such an arse, Fred," she said, her fists were on her hips now and her voice rose to match his.

Fred pursed his lips and just looked at her, trying to figure out what to say. He was fuming now too, and didn't want to say anything that he would regret. He wished that he had George's ability to remain calm with things like this. Fred had always been more of a hothead.

"I'm going to bed, next time it would be nice to know about your other choices in females," she snapped.

"Hermione, you're my _only _choice. For Merlin's sake, everyone knows I've loved you for years. George told me probably four years ago how bloody in love with you I was. I wouldn't be surprised if everyone knew," he declared loudly. Immediately after he spoke his eyes went wide. What the in the bloody hell did he just say? The room fell silent. In fact a noise couldn't be heard throughout the entire house. Fred was inwardly cursing himself while Hermione just stood frozen with her hand on the knob of his door.

"What did you say?" she asked, turning so she was able to look at him. When she saw his face her anger subsided. Now she just felt jealous. The monster had risen up in her at the fact that Fred could have taken interest in another girl. Of course now she knew he hadn't, but she was just so sure that he couldn't actually fancy her. Even if he had, he couldn't just fancy her alone. Hermione always had the feeling that she was never going to be good enough, and her self-esteem was practically non-existent. It's not like anyone else ever tried fixing it for her. There was Ron, but he was just confusing. Their relationship had been a disaster and ended as quickly as it started. It never made her feel special at all. Plus it had always seemed impossible to her that Fred could like her. He was so different.

Hermione blinked at him a few times. It was Fred that seemed frozen now, but soon he took a few strides toward her. Her back was up against the door now and he was only inches away from her. It felt like her body was on fire.

"I said I fucking _love_ you, Hermione." He answered, no longer yelling.

She hadn't said anything and he was desperately searching her eyes for something. If she didn't love him, he didn't care. He would make her love him eventually somehow.

"B-but why?" she stuttered.

"I could give you fifty reasons why, probably more," he said and leaned down to kiss her again. He pinned her against the door by putting his hands against it. His body was flush against hers while he continued to tenderly kiss her lips. It amazed her how someone could go from being so loud and hasty to romantic and tender in a matter of seconds. Fred removed his lips from hers and started to kiss down her jaw line.

"I promise you're the only woman in my life. I'm sorry for getting loud." He mumbled against her skin.

She couldn't muster up any anger. He had managed to completely eliminate it all. It's not like him being loud was a surprise to her. She had known and been around him for years now.

"I'm sorry for acting like a lunatic," she said, gazing at the floor. "I was just so jealous. I don't know what came over me."

"I'm just so handsome, it's easy to be jealous," he teased, pulling her into a tight but playful hug. "But you're gorgeous."

Her cheeks flushed and she pushed her hands against his chest to detach herself from him.

"We should probably work on your product, and never show our faces again. I can't believe how embarrassing that actually was. I'm such a nightmare." She groaned into her hands as she sat on the side of his bed.

There was a light knock on the door and Fred opened it, expecting one of his brothers. Instead, it was Ginny. Her lips were pressed into a tight line and she was fidgeting.

"Fred, you need to come downstairs for a minute…" She told him sadly, her eyes were pointed at the floor.

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**dun dun dunnnn. now what? ;) **


	13. Missing

Ginny was feeling slightly uncomfortable after hearing the screaming match Fred and Hermione had. The entire household had heard it. She knew Ron wasn't too thrilled and Harry had to keep himself from snickering. Ginny couldn't even comprehend what her parent's emotions were. She was confused by the fact that they didn't seem to be too fazed by Fred bellowing his love for Hermione at the top of his lungs. Hell, she wouldn't have been surprised if all of England heard them.

"What's wrong Gin?" asked Fred, ushering Hermione out of the room.

"Just go!" Ginny squeaked. She didn't want to be the one to tell him.

Fred's eyebrows furrowed as he took to going the stairs two at a time. Hermione was left at the top of the stairs with a very flustered and confused Ginny. The younger girl noticed Hermione's flushed face, and if were the right time and place she would have teased her.

"Whasgoinon?" he asked hurriedly when he entered the kitchen.

Mrs. Weasley had her head in her hands. Her bushy red hair was hanging over most of her face. Fred could see some streaks of grey in it. When had his mother gotten so old? Was it after George had died?

"You see, Fred, there's been another attack…" his father started, gesturing for his son to sit down in front of him.

Fred was confused. Why were they telling him this? He wasn't an Auror. It should be Ron and Harry in the room, not him.

"Verity is missing, Fred." Mr. Weasley said softly.

Fred's face immediately fell. He had only seen her hours ago. How could she be missing? It had to be some kind of mistake, or a joke. His eyes searched his father's trying to find some hint of humor, anything.

"I'm sorry, m'boy," he said, rising from his chair to place a hand on Fred's shoulder.

"But I just saw her a few hours ago. How do you know she's even missing?" He asked.

"Her parents contacted us and the Ministry after she never came home," said Mr. Weasley.

A great feeling of nausea swept over Fred. This was completely his fault. He hadn't bothered to stay and make sure that she was safe. He simply left her there to fall victim to a Death Eater or whoever took her.

"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" he asked.

"I hope so. With Aurors as great as Ron and Harry I'm sure she'll be working back at your store in no time," his tone wasn't as convincing as he would have liked.

Fred, for once in his life, had nothing else to say. He just nodded his head and stood up from the table.

"Oh, and son?" Mr. Weasley said and snapped his head up.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"I'm proud of you," he said.

A corner of Fred's mouth tugged up slightly and he strode toward his father to hug him, patting him on the back with one hand. He wasn't positive what his father was referring to, but he had an idea that it was something to do with the yelling moments ago.

Upstairs, Hermione had gone back to the room she shared with Ginny in toe.

"Was every thing okay, Ginny," Hermione asked, sitting beside the girl.

"Verity never showed up at her house tonight," she said, frowning a bit.

"That's horrible," gasped Hermione. She thought about how Fred must have felt. He had been with her so recently. Immediately she wanted to go and comfort him but decided that if he needed her he would come and get her himself.

"Nice love confession," Ginny tried to lighten up the mood.

"Oh shush, I wasn't even the one to confess my love," she said, not realizing what she said until Ginny's eyes opened.

"So you love him back?" Ginny asked.

"Of course I do," replied Hermione quietly.

"Then why didn't you scream it for the house to hear like Fred did? Does he even know?" She continued tossing questions at Hermione. There was humor laced in her voice.

"I didn't say anything. I really didn't know what to say. It caught me completely off guard and oh gosh I feel horrible," she confessed, wanting to let Fred know that she did love him too. He didn't seem to mind at all that she hadn't said it back to him. Maybe he was expecting it. The thought didn't calm her any further though. She felt terrible at how she didn't tell him she loved him, and how he must feel over the news about Verity.

Ginny sensed that Hermione was feeling down about it and she gave the older girl a quick hug.

"Every thing will work out, really it will," Ginny smiled. "Plus, we can't be sad. Christmas Eve is only tomorrow."

This confused Hermione. Had the days really gone by that quickly? She hadn't even noticed the date and immediately started to stress. It wasn't that she had forgotten to get anyone gifts. Of course she had already done that back in September. There was never a time that she waited as late as December to shop. She was stressed because of Fred. When she bought him his gift they hadn't been together at all at the time. It would be stupid to him now. Inwardly, she groaned and lay back on Ginny's bed. Her hands came up over her face. A light thudding could be heard as someone came up the stairs. Another light thudding followed and the girls assumed it was Ron and Harry.

They discovered they were right as a pair of red and brown haired heads popped into the room.

"How's it goin' in here?" asked Harry, opening the door more so him and Ron could fit through it.

Ron remained in the doorway.

"What's wrong with 'Ermione?" Ron tilted his head like a questioning dog. He was still not sure how he felt about what he heard about an hour ago during the screaming match. It was hard for him to tell if he was jealous that he no longer had her, or if he was happy that Fred found someone serious. Even if the person he found was his bloody ex-girlfriend.

"She's going mental about Christmas," said Ginny. Hermione's hands were off her face now and her eyes were on her best friends near the door. The red-haired girl's eyes wandered to Harry. She looked him over until catching his eyes, which made her grin.

"I am not," Hermione protested, now sitting upright on the bed.

Harry laughed lightly and took a few steps toward Ginny. He placed a light kiss on her lips before going back towards the doorway where Ron was.

"The family is coming over tomorrow," said Ron. "Be prepared for Aunt Muriel." His voice was warning, but playful, and he closed the door over as he and Harry left.

"Everyone's just trying to act normal," Ginny noted.

Hermione was glad she wasn't the only one that noticed. There was a louder thumping coming from the stairs and Hermione perked up instantly. Ginny snickered, which earned her a deathly look.

"Fred?" Ron's voice could be heard from behind the door of the girl's room.

"Shove off, Ron," Fred grumbled, closing his door loudly when he reached the end of the hallway.

"What an arse," grumbled Ron, who must have disappeared behind his own door.

"Do you think he's okay?" Hermione turned to Ginny, finally moving to her own bed. Their room wasn't large at all, so it was just two steps away. She could have leaped if she wanted.

"Why don't you find out?" Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"He didn't seem in the mood for company," Hermione wrapped a blanket around her.

"You're not company, he loves you, you nitwit," smiled Ginny.

Hermione thought about it for a moment and decided that Ginny was right. What's the worst thing that could happen? She figured that if anything she would just come back to the room and sulk in her own bed. Hermione got up and tried flattening her hair down.

"Do I look okay?" She asked, realizing how foolish it was immediately.

"You look fine, you're not going on a date. Go check on him!" exclaimed Ginny in a whisper. Hermione's cheeks went pink and she nodded, fumbling with the doorknob.

"I'm having Harry come in here since you're leaving," She chirped as Hermione left the room. There goes having a bed to come back and sulk into. The bushy-haired girl tiptoed down the hallway past Percy's empty room and passed Ron and Harry's room. Just as she got by the door Harry slipped out of it. They both looked at each other and froze.

"This is a little weird," said Harry.

Hermione mumbled in agreement and nodded her head at little.

"Goodnight then, Harry." She smiled, unsure if he could even see her face in the dark.

Harry whispered a reply before slipping into Ginny's room. Hermione shuddered at the thought of what was going to be happening in there.

_As long as my bed is untouched, I don't care. _She thought.

When she reached Fred's door she raised her hand to knock, but decided against it. If she knocked that could make someone come out to see what the noise was. She didn't just want to go into his room because she felt that would be invading his privacy. Instead, she stood awkwardly by the door. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her nerves were unbearable. Minutes had passed and she mustered up the courage to slip into his room. In the dark she could just barely make out the shadow of his frame asleep in his bed. He snored lightly; it was so quiet that she could hardly consider it a snore. Afraid that she was going to wake him up, she stood by the door again. Hermione took a deep breath and padded over to his bed. He rolled in his sleep and faced the wall, leaving her room to slip into the bed possibly unnoticed. She couldn't help but think how extremely convenient that was. As she slipped into the bed she bumped his foot on accident, and froze. He grumbled a little and rolled back over, facing her now. Her presence woke him up.

"'Mione?" He asked sleepily.

"I just wanted to be with you," she whispered.

He was waking up a little and processing what was going on.

"That's fine, love," he said, draping an arm over her and pulling her close. "There's definitely no objections here."

"Are you okay, Fred?" she asked. Hermione braced herself for his reaction.

"Better now," he admitted. "Everything will work out, I hope."

"We have to be happy," she told him. "It's almost Christmas."

"I know," he said. It was a holiday that he never forgot. Also, the fact that Ginny was home was a constant reminder of it.

"You're not going to kick me out, right?" she asked.

Fred furrowed his eyebrows.

"Why would I do that?" He asked, seemingly confused by the question.

"Because I don't have a bed to go back to… Harry is in there now," she told him.

Fred grimaced at the thought of her sister being alone in a room with another boy at night. He didn't care if it was Harry freaking Potter in the room with her.

"Ugh," he groaned. "If he touches her I'll cut his bloody bollocks off."

Hermione covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"Don't swear," she kissed the corner of his mouth, making him smile.

"If I don't, will you kiss me again?" He waggled his eyebrows. His voice was laced with drowsiness.

"I suppose," she said.

**A/N: Okay ahh! Hermione still does not admit her love out loud to Freddie. Tut Tut. So I'm thinking the next chapter will have to be Christmas Eve, of course. I can't just skip that! But then after that I think we're going to have more about the attack and possibly some drama laced in there soon. I'm in no rush to finish this story so... Let me know what you think and some suggestions. I love incorporating things you guys want into my writing (: **

**On a side note, I'm not British at all, so I'm trying haha it's making me want to use these words in casual conversation though & I have to constantly stop myself. ANYWAY, insanely long note over. REVIEW LOVLIES.& a quick thanks to Cocorocks for always leaving me something (:  
**


	14. PreHoliday Cheer Part One

**A/N: Okay, so apparently Ginny's room is below Fred's & I completely forgot so for the sake of the story Fred's was moved down near hers and we can shove Ron and Harry's room above them or something. Just a note, enjoy the update! This chapter is going to be in parts so this is part one. **

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It is nice waking up in the morning beside someone you love, and that was exactly how Hermione felt as she opened her eyes. It was Christmas Eve day and for a moment she had forgotten that the world wasn't perfect. Beside her, Fred was stretched across the bed with his legs intertwined with hers. There was a small amount of light coming through his curtains. It was peaceful, and Fred didn't appear to be awake yet. Hermione took the moment to snuggle herself back into his arms. Her face was against his neck and she breathed him in. It was relaxing, and she immediately felt relaxed. Almost like she could fall back asleep again. For as long as she could remember she could never sleep past eight in the morning, and that was sleeping in for her. She always thought that it would be nice to sleep in for a change. Her eyes fluttered shut, as she continued to breathe Fred's scent. Her hand found one of his and she lazily laced their fingers together. All of the movement woke him, but he didn't open his eyes. A warm smile tugged at his lips that she couldn't see. Fred wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her closer into him. He pressed his lips lightly to her forehead.

"I didn't mean to wake you," mumbled Hermione

"S'okay, I don't mind," said Fred sleepily.

"Want to go back to sleep?" Hermione asked.

"Is Hermione Granger asking me if I want to sleep in?" He teased. His tone was faking surprise.

"Or we could get up and organize all of my books alphabetically?" She suggested, trying to keep her tone serious.

From being around Fred she was getting better at joking with him.

"Good night!" he exclaimed, rolling over on his back.

Hermione snorted at him, but cuddled herself against his side. Eventually she drifted back off to sleep for the first time in years.

Two hours later, she wasn't able to sleep any longer and got up. Walking felt a bit funny but she ignored it. When she left Fred's room and headed to the shower she noticed how quiet the house was. She walked past the bathroom door and jogged down the stairs. No one was in the living room or in the dining room. Her eyebrows came together in confusion and she peeked out the window to see if anyone was in the garden. When it was nice out the family ate out there. However, they were nowhere to be found. She pursed her lips together and turned to go back upstairs and find Fred. When she got to his room, she opened it to see Bellatrix beside a very white and bloody Fred. When Hermione opened her mouth to scream she couldn't.

Her eyes shot open and saw Fred looking directly back into her. Worry was etched on his face. She wondered if she had talked in her sleep, screamed, or made any noise at all. Suddenly, she felt extremely embarrassed. It had been months since she had a nightmare about that wretched woman, and she couldn't help but wonder why she had one now.

"I'm sorry," she said, her cheeks were pink.

Fred gave her a bewildered look.

"Why are you apologizing for having a nightmare?" He asked rhetorically.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her tight against his chest for a moment. When her heartbeat was back to a normal rate he let her go and got up from his bed.

"I have to go to the shop today," he said. "It's closing early for the Holiday. I just need to open it for those last minute blokes."

She bit lightly on her bottom lip before speaking.

"Do you want me to help you, since Verity isn't there?" She asked.

It was hard to bring up the subject of Verity's absence, but she figured it couldn't hurt for him to have a little extra help during the day. Also, she wanted to be around him more. It wouldn't hurt for her to do a little work and make herself useful.

"If you want to that would be great," he smiled. "How do you think she is? Do you think she's okay? Verity, I mean…"

The smile fell away from his face.

"I think so," she said. It was hard for her to sound encouraging because she really had no clue. "I don't think they would hurt her though, and maybe she's not even with a Deatheater."

Both of them knew the chance was slim but it was still comforting to think she was completely unharmed.

Fred nodded in agreement with her. "You're right, maybe I'm just worrying about nothing," he said, but didn't sound too convinced. "I just really hope she's fine. I feel like it's completely my fault."

"You couldn't have known that it was going to happen, Fred. If you were there you could be gone too, or maybe worse," said Hermione quietly.

She wanted to help more and take his mid off it but wasn't sure how. When she got an idea she stood and picked up his box of inventions.

"We could try and work on this before we have to go to the shop," she suggested.

"Yeah, let's go to the flat though," he said, taking the box from her with a smile.

She ultimately agreed to this, but needed to get a few things before leaving.

"I just have to get clothes to change into, can I take a shower there?" She asked, already hurrying out of his room.

"Of course," He called from behind her, in toe with the box still in his arms.

Ginny and Harry were already long and gone out of the room when Hermione entered. Fred looked around the room and crinkled his nose at the sight of Ginny's messy bed. Hermione noticed him shaking his head and she suppressed a laugh.

"Calm down, Fred." She knew exactly what he was thinking. Honestly she wasn't sure if Ginny and Harry shagged, but she was almost positive they did. It was better, however, if Fred didn't think his sister did. Truthfully Hermione didn't want to think much about that either.

"They just slept in the same bed, like us." She told him, even though she wasn't certain. A nagging at the back of her mind told her that she was lying. She ignored it and shoved all of her things into her handbag that she expanded about two years ago. It was still huge on the inside and Fred's expression went from skep to a smirk as she put more and more into the bag.

"You've always been so clever," he noted.

"Thank you, Fred."

After they apparated to the flat Fred owled his mother to let her know that Hermione was going to help him with the shop today. He wasn't sure if his parents considered them dating now, or if they even were exactly. He would have to fix that soon. Hermione had been exploring the flat while he wrote the letter to his mum.  
"This is really nice," she thought out loud.

"Thanks, it's simple really," he replied.

Everyone who visited thought the flat were too simple for Fred and George. It was the only thing that was simple in their life though, and compared to the extravagant store below them it was nice to come up to something plain once and awhile.

"What are you trying to make, exactly?" Hermione asked, pulling pieces of crumpled paper from the box on Fred's bed. She couldn't help but notice the bed in his flat was exactly the same as his bed in The Burrow. This made her smile to herself.

"A way of communicating, like how Tom Riddle's diary was," he started, trying to explain and hoping she would understand. "I want to be able to write something and for someone else to see it, but I also want to know who's reading it to be able to know if it's safe to write or not…" His forehead wrinkled in concentration. It seemed difficult for him, because Riddle's diary was a horcrux, and had a part of his soul in it. He wanted to replicate the idea, but not the dark magic, and not the soul part of it either. That would just be creepy.

"I remember reading about a spell once, to be able to do exactly what you're thinking, Fred." She told him, but then lay back on his bed. "I just have to remember exactly what it was."

Moments later it was like a light bulb went off and Hermione's face lit up.

"I remember, give me those pieces of parchment," She said. Fred raised his eyebrows and handed them over to his brown haired girl.

Hermione took her wand from her robe and pointed it at the two pieces of parchment piled on top of one another.

"Scribtium Invisibilis," She said, and the paper stack glowed white for a moment then returned to normal. Once it returned to normal she pointed the wand at the papers again and said, "Scribtium vulticulus."

Hopefully it would cause the writing to disappear and reappear.

She then did some kind of motion with her wand Fred didn't understand. Apparently she was bonding the two pieces of paper together. When she finished she looked at Fred with a pleasant smile on her face. He made a mental note to have Hermione teach him that. Once before he thought George might've used the same charm. Usually Fred was more of the designer and George did more of the charms.

"Do you have a quill?" she asked.

Fred nodded and took a quill from the side pocket in his jacket. She had once teased him that everything he ever needed was in that jacket. The thought made him smile.

"Let's see if this works," she said, handing one piece of parchment to Fred.

"Now you write something, and don't show me your paper, and I'll respond to you if it works." She told him, taking her paper. Fred glanced at her and then at the parchment. He wasn't sure what to write, but then again it really didn't matter. On the parchment, he scribbled _I love you_ and watched it disappear when he was lifted the quill. His face lit up in excitement. It seemed to be working. On Hermione's paper the words appeared from Fred just like she hoped they would. It was rewarding to get one of Fred's inventions made for him. _I love you too, _she wrote back. A coy smile played on her lips. Fred looked at her in shock over the fact that the papers worked and she told him she loved him back.

"Are you serious?" He asked, placing the paper on the coffee table and shifting closer to her.

"Of course I am. I love you, Fred," she smiled before throwing her arms around his neck.

"There's only one thing to do then!" he exclaimed.

"What?" she asked, her face scrunching a little.

"You have to be my girlfriend," he smiled, taking one of her small hands in his.

Hermione couldn't help but roll her eyes at his corniness.

"I could do that," she responded, placing a quick kiss on his lips.

He shook his head in disapproval at the small kiss and pushed her back on the couch. His lips found hers and he massaged them slowly with his own. The kiss made its way from slow to more heated as Fred traced her bottom lip with his tongue. Naturally, Hermione parted her lips and allowed their tongues to brush together during the kiss. When she pulled away for air her face was flushed.

"Enjoying yourself?" He teased cockily.

Hermione snorted and pushed him off of her.

"We should get downstairs to the store. The parchment can be tested again later," she said.

"You're right, you're right," he groaned. "If I could sit here all day snogging you I completely would though."

He waggled his eyebrows at her and she rolled her eyes again.

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**Part two should be up within a few days! If I get reviews I'll be more inspired to write faster. I hate to complain but I haven't been getting any really though so I kind of lost inspiration. That's why this chapter took longer. Anyway, thanks for reading! **


	15. PreHoliday Cheer Part Two

**A/N: Okay so I updated quickly because of the reviews and amount of views and visitors I got. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter because its one of my longest. It's a bit of a filler but there is some drama and angst lying in it. Review & let me know what you think. Also, if you want to see something in the story let me know! Enjoy lovelies! **

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Just like Fred predicted the shop was bustling full of witches and wizards alike. They were in way over their heads as Fred and Hermione hurried around the store assisting people. Since they were so busy Hermione took it upon herself to bewitch the register to work without them being there. Fred took it upon himself to change it. All people had to do was give their money to it and it would spit out the change for them. The drawback was it would literally spit out the change, thanks to Fred's touch.

A little after two in the afternoon the visitors to the store slowed and the noise level had become drastically lower. Hermione was actually able to hear her thoughts. She was completely winded and breathing hard. She couldn't help but thing it was amazing how Fred was able to do this everyday. Never once did she think that his work was very difficult. She had always thought it was just fun and something he loved to do.

"Enjoying your day on the job?" Fred asked, striding over to her from the Pygmy Puffs. He had a few of the blue ones on his shoulders and a smile was tugging at the corners of his mouth from the sight of his girl. Hermione's hair was bushier than normal and her face looked flushed. He took notice of her hard breathing and had to redirect his attention elsewhere. It was somewhat of a turn on.

"I don't know how you do this everyday," she admitted, trying to smooth out her hair.

She had a feeling that her appearance did not resemble anything close to attractive. However, Fred would have disagreed with that.

"You get used to it," he shrugged, throwing an arm casually around her shoulders.

She couldn't help but admire him anyway for being such a hard worker. It was now hard for her to grasp why his mother was so disapproving at first. But, like Hermione, Molly probably assumed it was all just fun and games for the twins.

Fred led her to the front of the store.

A few children ran through the doors and he removed his arm from Hermione's shoulders to wave to the new customers. A little girl caught a glimpse of them together and her face lit up. Fred gave the girl a wide grin and her eyes widened. The little girl ran off quickly after her mother, hiding from Fred shyly. It reminded him of when Ginny first saw Harry at their house Ron's second year. Who would have thought that they had ended up together?

He looked at Hermione, a smirk still on his face.

"Kids just love me," he teased, wondering what his own children would be like. Would they be shy?

"She was really very cute," said Hermione. There was something about her that was really never comfortable with children.

Moments later she had gone back to the register to take the spell off it. The store was no longer a madhouse and the coin spitting was no longer necessary, much to the dismay of Fred. He had found it to be quite amusing and personally wanted to keep it that way.

"I don't know how you don't think that's funny," he said, frowning as it turned back into a normal register. "It was wicked."

"It was dreadful, Fred," laughed Hermione, giving someone back their change with a grin. "Have a nice day," she said as they turned to leave.

Fred hopped up onto the counter beside the register. He pointed his wand at the door and an extravagant "Sorry we're closed!" sign flashed through the glass. Hermione was glad to see that Blood Traitor was no longer engraved there.

"How did you get rid of that vandalism," she asked. She had meant to help him with it but never had found the time. A twinge of guilt crept through her. Normally she didn't push off things like that. For a minute she thought he hadn't heard her. He was just staring out the window. It had started to snow.

"Ron helped me," he answered. "He apparently learned how from the ministry. Things like that are popping up occasionally now. I still doubt it's that big of a deal."

For a moment he thought of Verity. He didn't let himself frown.

It was Christmas Eve and he was going to be happy no matter what.

Hermione noticed his change in expression and walked over to the WonderWitch products. She picked up one of the violent pink love potions.

"What would happen if you took this?" she asked playfully.

"Nothing, I'm already in love with you," he grinned, hopping off the counter and taking the potion from her hand. He made a mental note to make more of the potion. They were running low.

Hermione smiled at the answer and wandered around the rest of the store, rolling her eyes at some of the products.

Fred followed, straightening objects on the shelves with a flick of his wand.

"We should be getting back soon," she pointed out, gesturing to the large clock on the wall to the left of where they stood.

"Probably, Mum is going to be pissed if I make you late for Christmas Eve dinner," he said, faking horror.

Hermione realized that she never got the chance to shower and glanced at the clock again. If she was quick in the loft, they could be back with time to spare before dinner. Fred didn't seem to be paying her any attention as he wandered off to another part of his store.

"I'm going to take a shower, Fred," she sang, scooping her knapsack from the counter before apparating up to the flat.

For a moment she wondered if he even heard her. Then she heard the **CRACK** behind her, and spun on her heel to face the ginger-haired boy.

"You don't mind, right?" she asked.

"I really do dislike when women are naked in my home, but I _guess_ I could manage," he replied dryly. A corner of his mouth was tugged up in a crooked grin and his hands were shoved in his pockets.

"If you get lonely in there, let me know!" He called and she purposely sashayed to the bathroom with the knapsack slung over her shoulder.

Fred admired her as she walked and looked her up and down, licking his lips. What he wouldn't do to be able to follow her into that bathroom and get a view of what was hiding under those clothes.

To his disappointment, she hadn't gotten lonely in the shower and didn't call for him. Truthfully, he would have thought he had gone mental if she did ask.

While she showered Fred sauntered to his room to spiffy up for dinner. He unbuttoned his work shirt and opened the middle drawer of his dresser to find something a little more casual than the suit he wore to work. In a quick motion he tossed the shirt and jacket to the corner of the room by his bed, leaving his chest bare. There had been nothing in the middle drawer that he liked or in the drawer below it. He sighed, clearly frustrated, and looked through his closet instead. From behind him he heard a gasp and spun around to see Hermione red-faced in the doorway.

"I'm so sorry!" she said hurriedly.

Quickly, she had darted out of the room. Fred took a moment to process what had happened before laughing loudly. Hermione was still blushing in another room. The blush darkened at the sound of his deep laughter. She hadn't meant to walk in on him changing, but that didn't stop her from eyeballing him.

_It's not like he seemed to mind at all, _She thought.

Still, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed, like she saw something private. She had seen men without shirts before and to her discomfort even in just briefs, but only Ron and Harry. This was different because it was her boyfriend and she was attracted to him. It alarmed her that she wanted to see more of his perfectly toned Quidditch body. Her face got even hotter at the thought and she put her head in her hands.

Fred found her in the living room. He was completely dressed in a maroon button down shirt and a pair of black jeans. She couldn't help but notice how nice the maroon suited him, even with his red hair. For a boy he was typically very well dressed, unlike Ron who could hardly match a simple shirt and pants.

"I was hardly undressed," he teased, twirling a strand of her damp hair around his index finger.

"Or is that why you're so distraught?" he asked while playfully bringing a hand to the buttons on his shirt and undoing the first. She groaned and smacked him on the arm.

"You're horrible," she said, removing her hands when the color in her face returned to normal. He started to laugh again, and this time she joined him. When their laughter subsided he leaned over and placed a light kiss on her lips.

"We should be going, love," he said, taking her hand. "Are you ready?"

She was dressed for dinner but her hair was still damp.

"Yeah, it's just your family." She laughed, trying to understand why she felt so nervous. Nothing had changed. It was only the Weasleys except now she was dating Fred. A year ago she was dating Ron. She couldn't help but feel like a bit of a slag.

"Let's go then!" He said, apparating the both of them to the Burrow.

It was nice, being at his flat with her. Although not many people knew this, Fred actually enjoyed the quiet sometimes. He wished that Hermione were able to stay at the flat with him. It wasn't completely out of the question, now that they were officially together. Maybe if he just waited a few more months and suggested it to Hermione she would be okay with it. They were already sleeping together most of the time.

However, he knew his mother would be cross if they lived together before marriage. She didn't believe in it at all. His spirits died when he realized that it was going to be just a fantasy. If he wanted to be around Hermione, he would have to continue living at The Burrow with possibly occasional nights spent at the loft.

When they arrived The Burrow was already filled to the brim with family, including lovely Aunt Muriel.

Hermione had met her at the wedding, and knew what was to be expected.

"You're entirely too thin, Ronald," she drawled as the tall boy sat down at the table.

"And who is this?" asked the old aunt, referring to Hermione.

Apparently Muriel had not remembered Hermione from the wedding.

_Good thing I'm so memorable_, she thought.

"That's Fred's girlfriend," Ginny teased, singing the word girlfriend.

Ron shifted uncomfortably in his chair, wishing that Parvati were there for him to talk to. He had grown quite fond of her lately and he had started speaking to her after running into her in Hogsmeade about a week ago. There was a possibility that he even fancied her. However, it still made him a little uncomfortable that Hermione was dating his brother. He wasn't used to it yet.

"Fred has a girlfriend? What's wrong with her, dating that boy...?" asked Aunt Muriel, ignoring Hermione was even in the room. "Her hair is like a birds nest and her ankles are far too skinny."

Hermione pressed her lips together and flashed a quick glance at Fred. There was no longer room at the table to sit near him, instead she took the empty seat on the left side of Harry. Aunt Muriel continued to express her opinions about each person at the table while the boys often talked over her.

"Just ignore the old bat, we always do." Ginny said, quiet enough for only Harry and Hermione to hear.

Harry had suppressed a laugh while Hermione just smiled. Everyone was too skinny or too fat according to Aunt Muriel and she still could not stand that Fleur was French.

"Can you pass zee potatoes Bill?" asked Fluer, looking at her husband lovingly and ignoring the French comment from Aunt Muriel.

Hermione admired them for a moment, hoping her love with Fred would last like that. Bill handed the potatoes to his wife and turned to talk to Charlie. It wasn't often that Charlie was with the family and when the opportunity arose he was like a celebrity. Each of his male siblings took turns asking about Romania and dragons. Ginny and Mrs. Weasley pestered him about finding a woman and getting married. Mrs. Weasley had insisted that she wanted grandchildren from him because she 'wasn't getting any younger.'

"Merlin, can you guys stop yakking for a minute so I can eat?" complained Charlie.

Ginny snorted and shoved a forkful of carrots into her mouth.

At the other end of the table, Percy was boasting about his new position at the ministry while only Mr. Weasley bothered to listen.

The rest of the lot ate and talked excitedly about Christmas and presents.

"Can we all open one tonight, Mum?" asked Ron, finishing up his third helping of roast beef.

"No, you'll just have to wait until morning," Molly said strictly.

Each year one of the boys asked to open a present early and the answer was always the same. The twins were the only ones who had managed to sneak away a present or two when they were younger. Fred reminisced on the thought and pushed his plate away from him as he finished. He, along with everyone else, was completely stuffed. When Mrs. Weasley skillfully waved her wand dinner had disappeared and been replaced with puddings and cakes. Ron and Fred groaned, but piled the food onto their plates anyway. Hermione, however, took only a tiny cake and split it in half with Ginny. Harry was absentmindedly spooning pudding into his mouth, ignoring the feeling of his stomach about to burst.

"Fred, Ron, you're both going to make yourselves sick," scolded Hermione.

Fred looked up at her, appearing abashed while Ron shrugged her off and continued to eat. Ginny rolled her eyes at Ron and excused herself from the table. Most of the family had gathered in the living room to decorate the tree. Harry followed his girlfriend into the living room while Hermione waited for Ron and Fred to finish eating.

"There's probably popcorn or something you could eat off the tree in there," she told them sarcastically.

"That's a good idea, except it might be stale," retorted Fred, not missing a beat.

"I'm not even hungry," said Ron, continuing to finish the cake on his plate.

Mrs. Weasley shook her head at her sons and left the kitchen to join the rest of the family in the living room. Hermione pushed her chair away from the table and huffed at the boys.

"I'm leaving too," she said, sending her plate to the sink with her wand.

When Hermione entered the room no one seemed to notice. Everyone was too busy hanging shiny ornaments on the tree. No one was using magic to do so either. It instantly reminded Hermione of her home for Christmas, and this was the first year that she was not going to see her parents at all during the Holiday. She felt an immense sadness wash over her and instead of joining in with the family she took a seat on the couch. She tucked her knees up under her chin.

When Fred entered the room he noticed the brunette wasn't in the mass of his red-haired family members. He spotted her on the couch and took a seat directly on her, trying to lighten her up.

"Are you okay?" He asked placing a kiss on her cheek after she pushed him off.

"I'm fine," she mumbled, resting her chin on her knees again.

Fred draped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze.

"You're clearly lying," he whispered, placing another kiss on the tip of her ear.

"I miss my parents," she told him. It was starting to hit her that she might never be part of their lives again. Unless she learned how to reverse the charm, and soon, they weren't going to remember her.

"I can help you reverse it, you know," his expression was completely serious. "My father would know how to help you, all you have to do is ask."

"I don't know if I want to, Fred. It's still dangerous to be a Muggle or Muggle-born and I don't want to endanger them by being in their lives." She sniffed and brought her palms to her eyes, wiping away the tears before they fell. "They're happy without me."

Crookshanks had leapt onto the couch beside Hermione, giving Fred a nasty hiss. He swatted at the cat, which hissed again before retreating. The cat never normally came near Hermione when she was around Fred or Ron. The only person the cat didn't seem to mind other than Hermione was Ginny.

"He would probably like you if you didn't try to hit him," she mumbled, wiping at her eyes again.

"That cat is mental, Hermione," laughed Fred. "And cheer up, love. It's Christmas." He grinned and wrapped her in another quick hug.

Ginny caught sight of the new couple and faked a gag, which Harry found extremely amusing. Hermione watched as Charlie balanced on Bill's shoulders to put a homemade angel on top of the very large tree. It was a wonder that the tree even fit in the house and she was positive that magic played a large role in getting it inside.

"I want to reverse it, Fred," Hermione told him, making up her mind. Her eyes were a little red.

"I'll help you," he promised, a lopsided smile spread across his face which caused her to smile in return.

There was a loud crash in the kitchen and all of the heads turned in the direction of the noise. Hermione jumped up from the couch and walked hurriedly behind Fred and Arthur into the kitchen. A few pots and pans lay on the floor beside Errol, the old Weasley owl.

"Look at the mess that bloody bird made," grumbled Ron who walked into the room last.

"My feathery git of an owl could have done better." He scoffed, but secretly was still quite fond of the small bird, Pigwidgeon.

"Oh, poor Errol," cooed Mrs. Weasley. "His sight sure isn't what it used to be." She scooped the bird up from the floor and it took off back out of the window.

"I don't remember it ever delivering a message without crashing," mumbled Bill, making Ginny laugh.

"Well what does it say Molly?" Mr. Weasley pressed, walking over to his wife and the letter.

"It's from Verity's parents," gasped Mrs. Weasley. "She is at St. Mungos, Fred."

Mrs. Weasley's eyes darted up from the paper to locate the twin in the sea of red hair.

Percy sat down at the table and adjusted the glasses on his face. He still had an ornament in hand. No one was really sure what to say or do. The room had become so quiet that the family ghoul in the attack could be heard.

Fred's face had gone whiter than a sheet.

"I have to go see her," said Fred, finally breaking the silence.

"I'll be home before tomorrow." His tone was neutral and he disapparated from the Burrow instantly.

Quiet chatter could be heard among the rest of the family while Hermione sat in shock.

She could feel two warm hands on her shoulders from Ron and Harry.

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**Okay, so there is part two of chapter 14! Next chapter will be Christmas & we can learn all about Verity. Yay! **


	16. Innocent Until Proven Guilty

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews & such guys. I had fun writing this chapter (: Enjoy! **

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The smell of St. Mungos made Fred a little shaky as he navigated through the hallways. It wouldn't have made him so nervous if he wasn't completely by himself. He regretted not asking a family member to come with him. The screams from floors above him made him shudder. This was a situation in that no jokes or laughs came to Fred's mind. There was nothing funny to be made from the suffering of others. He reached the front desk and wasn't sure where to even begin. The letter came to his mind first and he was glad he took it with him. He showed the woman up front the letter and asked where Verity might be staying.

The told him Verity could be found on the fourth floor. His breathing went from steady to quick and nervous. The fourth floor was for spell damage and he couldn't imagine what kind of damage had been done. He thought about going to the fifth floor first to maybe get her a present, or some tea to calm his nerves, but decided against it when he finally reached the fourth floor. The suspense was killing him and he had to see how she was doing. He just needed to know that she was okay and then he could leave and get her something.

As he walked the fourth floor he was thankful both that she was alive, and that George wasn't going through this with him. It would pain his brother even more because of how he used to fancy her.

"Excuse me," said Fred, trying to get the attention of a passing healer.

When the blonde turned to look at him he spoke again.

"Do you know which room Verity is in?"

"Verity?" questioned the female.

Fred realized at that moment that he didn't even know what the girl's last name was. He felt foolish.

"She has short blonde hair… green eyes…" his tone was desperate as he described her.

"Oh!" The healer smiled and pointed a few doors down. "She's in 608."

"Thank you so much," smiled Fred as he jogged down the hall to the room. He counted the room numbers in his head until reaching his destination. He rapped lightly on the door and another healer answered. This one was a man.

"It's a little past visiting hours," he started to say, before Fred pushed through the door.

Verity's eyes were wide in shock at the sight of the fiery-haired boy.

"That's him, the man who did this to me!" She squeaked, pulling the bed sheet up to her chin.

The skilled healer silently stunned Fred before he could open his mouth to protest or question what was happening. A red light blinked over the door. In an instant others were rushing to the room and ministry workers apparated to the side of the nameless healer. Fred couldn't move any part of his body, but that didn't stop him from trying.

That was the funny thing about a stunning spell. Even if you knew you couldn't move, it didn't stop you from trying.

Ron and Harry apparated into the hospital shortly after other magical law enforcement arrived. Fred had never been gladder to see them in his entire life.  
"What are you doing? That's my brother!" Exclaimed Ron, rushing to Fred's side.

Harry did a double take at the older redhead and grew heated.

"Release him, now," he ordered, knowing that he wasn't the highest rank in the room.

No one lifted a want to obey him, which angered Harry further.

"The girl claims he was the one who attacked her," said the healer.

A small whimper from Verity could be heard across the room.

"Like bloody hell he attacked her, he's my brother!" Ron yelled.

"We can't just let him go if she claims he was the one who did this to her," said another member of the magical law enforcement.

Harry pressed his lips together tightly. He was extremely aggravated because he knew the man was correct. There was no way that he would let them take Fred to Azkaban though. He wouldn't last more than a day there with his jokester personality. It was easy to see in Fred's eyes that he was scared for he knew that Azkaban was surely an option for a crime he didn't commit.

"Why in the hell would he come _here_ if he attacked her?" argued Ron, clearly exasperated.

"He's got a good point," a fellow Auror agreed with Ron.

"We're not taking him to Azkaban," said Harry.

"Harry, you don't believe this rubbish?" Ron shot a bewildered look at his mate.

"Of course not, but there's nothing we can do right now." Harry rubbed the back of his neck. The level of stress he was under was making his muscles tighten. He ran a hand quickly through his messy hair.

"Can you un-stun him now?" Ron growled at the healer.

Verity had sat mostly in shock during the entire argument. Most of the room even failed to notice her there. Ron caught a glimpse of her and was absolutely fuming.

"Why are you trying to get my brother in trouble? He's done so much for you!" Ron spat.

Verity looked taken aback for a moment, but her face contorted like she might cry.

"He did attack me!" she exclaimed. "He made me hurt, and forget."

She seemed pained and didn't appear completely sure that it was Fred who had attacked her. Her mind convinced her that he was the man though, and so she didn't mention otherwise. Her voice come off so scared and sure that Ron would have believed her himself if he hadn't known his brother better than that.

"Someone messed with her memory. Fred would never do something like this to her!" He pleaded, terrified that they were going to take another brother from him.

Harry put a hand on Ron's shoulder and looked to the healer.

"You surely know that her memory has been modified?" asked Harry.

"Of course," answered the healer, "But how are we to know that he didn't do it?" He gestured to the no longer stunned Fred.

"She worked for me! I was coming here to visit her. You have to believe me!" Fred rambled. It was a rare moment in his life when his tone contained no trace of any joke whatsoever.

"We would have known if he was hurting her, we're around him constantly." Ron argued.

"It will be decided during trial," said a highly ranked Auror, before apparating off with over half of the magical law enforcement members. The lot that stayed behind needed to figure out what was to become of Fred.

"Since you're both Aurors, I think it's acceptable for him to be under your watch until tomorrow mornings trial," said the head member of the magical law enforcement.

"Tomorrow's Christmas!" Exclaimed Ron.

"We could lock him in Azkaban until another date is available?" suggested the man dryly.

"Tomorrow is fine," said Harry, elbowing Ron hard in the side.

"Be in courtroom seven, at nine o'clock sharp in the morning," said the man before disapparating from the room with an audible crack. The rest of the lot followed.

Ron, Harry, and Fred left Verity's hospital room to get away from the nosey Healers.

In the hall, Fred was looking sullenly at the floor.

"I'm going to be ruining everyone's holiday _and_ wind up in Azkaban," he mumbled, thinking out loud.

"There's nothing you can do, Fred, but you're not going to Azkaban." Harry tried reassuring the older boy.

"Someone is sure set out to get you though."

"You didn't hurt her, right Fred?" asked Ron, looking confused at his older brother. His wand was gripped tightly in his hand. He was sure that his knuckles would be white in color.

"Of course not! Why would I be visiting her if I had?" He asked incredulously., wondering how his own brother could even ask such a question.

Ron easily believed him and the grip on his wand loosened. He felt like a bit of a prat for even asking.

Harry was looking around and shaking his head.  
"What are we going to do? The best witness we have is dead." He groaned, not even thinking about his word choice before it flowed out of his mouth. When he realized what he said guilt rushed over him. The look on Fred and Ron's faces was almost identical.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean… I didn't think…" Harry was unsure how to apologize for his thoughtlessness.

"It's okay, mate." Fred said, knowing that he hadn't meant anything by it. After all, he was right. The best witness that they could have that never left Fred's side was dead.

**. . . **

When the boys got back to The Burrow it was almost sunrise. All of them had yet to sleep a wink and they were completely exhausted. When they returned though, Mrs. Weasley had raced down from the stairs and engulfed them all in a hug. Mr. Weasley was apparently called into work hours ago around the same time as when Harry and Ron showed up at St. Mungos.

"What happened to you?" She asked Fred, taking him alone in another tight hug.

"If you want to know you need to let go before you kill me," joked Fred.

Harry was amazed that Fred could still find a way to joke through all of this. Ron had expected nothing less of his brother. He took a muffin for himself and Harry before sitting at the table. Fred took the time to relay the story back to his mother starting at looking for Verity's room and ending at his court trial less than a few hours away. The boys watched as the color drained completely from Molly's face. She looked as if she was going to collapse and Fred reached out to sturdy her.

"It's going to be okay Mum, really," he said, though he wasn't completely sure if it was. "I didn't hurt her, I would never."

"Yeah, someone muddled with her memory Mum," quipped Ron.

"My Freddie can't go to Azkaban," howled Mrs. Weasley, burying her face in Fred's shoulder as the tears sprung from her eyes. He patted his mother on the back and made an attempt to calm her down, shooting desperate looks at Ron and Harry.

"Fred won't go to Azkaban, Mum," Ron tried to reassure his mother also.

"Yeah, they don't have any actual evidence to send him," said Harry.

"Send who where?" Ginny asked, trotting down the stairs sleepily with Hermione right behind.

"What's going on?" Hermione asked. Her eyes darted to each person in the room.

Fred's eyes met Hermione's and she could instantly see the worry on his face. Mrs. Weasley let go of Fred and sank down in a chair. It was as if a dementor slipped through the room right past her. Her body felt cold and weak at the thought of her son being convicted of a crime he hadn't committed.

"Hermione, I'll meet you upstairs," said Fred. His voice was shaky.

"Harry?" Ginny questioned her boyfriend, trying to wrap her head around what was going on in the room. Harry just shook his head at her, silently telling her that he would let her know what was going on soon, but not now. Ron retreated to the living room to be by himself while Hermione went back up the stairs and into Fred's room.

She sat down on his bed and took hold of one of his pillows, holding it tightly to her chest. It smelled like him, and it comforted her for a moment from the dread filling her thoughts. She knew that something terrible had happened, but she wasn't sure what. Fred appeared to be completely unscathed so it had to be something completely different. The door of his room creaked as he slipped inside. The sun was rising and there were a few slivers of sunlight entering his room.

He still had about four hours until he needed to be at the ministry for his hearing. If it went wrong he had no idea what he was going to do. He didn't know what would become of his store or what Hermione would do. If anything he didn't know what he would do without Hermione. Now that she was in his life it was hard to imagine it without her.

When he sat down on the bed beside her he slowly told her about everything that happened over the course of the three hours spent at St. Mungos. A few times she gasped, and at one point he thought she was going to lose it completely.

"I'm coming with you today," she said. "I'll help you. It's not right that they barely gave you any time to prepare."

Her face was scrunched in concentration as she thought about each magical law book she ever read. There was no way for them to convict him if the one claiming he attacked her had, had her memory modified. Also, they could check his wand to see all the spells he preformed. There were many things that could be done to prove that Fred was completely innocent and she didn't doubt for one second that he wasn't.

"I just want you to know, if anything happens…how much I truly love you, Hermione." He leaned toward her and pressed his lips to hers, his eyes closing at the feel of her soft lips. She kissed him back, but only for a short moment.

"You know I love you too but don't think like that Fred, you're not going anywhere," She promised.

"With my brains, your wit, Ron's persistence, and Harry's power you're not going anywhere."

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**So what do you guys think? Do you like it? This was by far the most exciting chapter & I'm pretty proud of it even though it isn't one of my longest chapters. Anyway, now you'll have to keep reading to find out what happens with Fred :) Christmas isn't so fluffy after all. **


	17. Trial and Error

**A/N: I need someone to help me with this story and possibly be a Beta Reader if you're interested in helping me. Anyway, enjoy! **

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Fred wasn't able to sleep at all, but he remained by Hermione while she did. It was too hard to settle his mind. Anything could happen in the next short hours. Everyone knew that he wouldn't last more than a minute in Azkaban and he didn't blame them. Hell, he didn't think he could either. Life had always been one joke after another to him and George. He experienced dementors only a few times in his life: once on the train, and during the war. The experiences weren't something he wanted to relive. The pure thought of being around them constantly in Azkaban made him shudder. The involuntary movement stirred Hermione and he couldn't help but feel both guilty and relieved that she was awake. In a selfish way, he wanted her to talk to him and assure him everything was going to be okay…even if it wasn't.

"Didn't you sleep?" She asked groggily.

"A little," he lied.

The sun was full-fledged in the sky and it was probably around seven thirty. That meant he had two hours before he had to be in the court and a little over an hour before they needed to leave. He wasn't even sure who would be going with him. It was Christmas, and he didn't want to ruin it for everyone. Hermione checked the time and her eyes widened. Fred couldn't help but find her expression somewhat endearing. She always seemed to be worried about something. It was familiar in a way. He wondered if he would see that face again tomorrow.

"Stop worrying, Fred," ordered Hermione, although her voice was a little shaky. It was as if she could read his thoughts.

"One of your best mates defeated the Dark Lord, I'm sure he'll have some pull." She was trying to reassure the both of them.

Fred simply nodded and went to his closet. He needed to figure out what to wear. One thing he could do to help himself was look nice today.

"What should I wear?" He asked Hermione, right before she slipped out of his room.

She stopped in the doorway and glanced at him sideways.

"Just look nice, Fred. You always have been a fantastic dresser," she complimented before leaving him alone in the room. She needed to shower and make herself presentable also if she was going to be going with Fred. The warm water would also help to clear her head. Right now she needed to focus on the trial and remember every wizarding law she had ever read in case it was needed.

While Hermione was in the shower Fred was ripping apart his closet. There were socks draped over boxes, pants hanging off chairs and his bed, and shirts strewn across the floor. About ten minutes passed before he huffed and sunk onto his bed. The best he could find was his dark green robes, a white undershirt, black trousers, and a pair of dress shoes that were in his closet. He wasn't completely sure if they were his or Georges.

Hermione checked on him again once she was out of the shower and dressed. Her damp hair was up in a bun, a few loose curls hanging from it. The bun looked both so elegant and effortless. Fred looked over her fondly. If he were to be found guilty today he wasn't sure how he could handle not seeing her.

Would she wait for him? He didn't expect her to do that.

"Are you okay?" She asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.  
"Just chipper," he replied, pressing his lips together tightly. It was easier to be sarcastic than joking right now. Plus, they are practically the same thing, right?

"Fred?" She began. "This is going to sound silly, but if anything were to go wrong today…I really love you." Her eyebrows were knitted. She breathed out a small sigh and her eyes darted to the floor.

"I could never find anyone to replace you, Fred" she was sincere but she held back a laugh as she said it. Fred noticed her stifled laughter and suddenly he burst out laughing himself. She wasn't able to control herself any longer and the sound of her own laughter mixed with his. It was funny to him, because everyone told him he was one of a kind, usually in a bad way. She hadn't meant it to be teasing or funny in the slightest, but because it was about Fred, it was truly hysterical.

"We _really _need to leave," she told him once they settled down. "Let's go get the others."

Hermione turned to leave the room but Fred reached out and grabbed her arm.

"Hermione?" He started.

She turned to face him. Her eyebrows were raised suggesting that she was waiting for him to continue. She was growing a little impatient by how late they were becoming.

"Merry Christmas."

She blinked at him a few times, trying to process what just happened. In everything that was happening she had completely forgotten that it was in fact Christmas Day. Fred took her hand and placed a small octagon box in it.

"Open it later," he said, bringing her hand up to his lips. He let go of her hand, his lopsided smile never leaving his face. It made him feel insane; smiling even though he could possibly be in Azkaban in a few hours.

_Apparently love makes you a complete nutter,_ He thought.

"Thank you," mumbled Hermione. She didn't have his gift with her. It was under the tree in the living room. She hadn't been expecting the day to go exactly like this, and didn't have the time for him to open it now. An immense guilt tugged at her conscious as she walked briskly through the house to meet with Ron and Harry.

The boys insisted that Mrs. Weasley didn't come along. Ron thought it would be better for her and his dad to stay home and spend the day with the family. She didn't like the idea and fought it, but lost in the end.

"It starts in twenty minutes," Harry pointed out, pushing the door open to the burrow and leading out the lot.

"I hadn't noticed," Ron said bitterly.

Harry ignored him, knowing he wasn't in the best of moods.

"Link arms," ordered Harry, taking Ron's arm.

Ron linked arms with Hermione, who already had her hand in Fred's.

"Ready?" Harry asked.

"Let's go already!" Hermione complained, not wanting them to be.

Harry inwardly groaned and apparated to the Ministry. Being able to apparate into the Ministry was one of the perks of being an Auror.

"How did you…?" Hermione started, looking completely puzzled.

"Perk of working here," he shrugged and started off toward the elevator. A few paper airplanes flew over their heads and Hermione glanced at them. She didn't think she would ever be completely used to magic.

"What floor is it?" asked Hermione.

"The same mine was," answered Harry.

Fred had stayed completely silent since they left the burrow. It was strange for him, and Ron couldn't help but give his brother a quick squeeze on the shoulder. Fred didn't react, except for exchanging a quick glance with Ron.

Hermione found Fred's hand and gave it a small squeeze too.

The elevator was far too crowded for her liking. She heard a man cough a few times behind them and cringed.

"We get off here," said Harry, leading the lot from the elevator.

The walk down the hall wasn't far. Fred was looking around with interest. He had never been in this part of the Ministry. Actually, he hadn't been in many parts of it. Only once or twice had he been here with his dad. Arthur had tried to bring the twins once and anyone could guess how that turned out. Fred's mouth twitched at the thought, but no one noticed.

"Here," said Harry.

The four of them entered the courtroom. A lone chair sat in the middle of the room for Fred.

"I'm not letting him sit there alone," Hermione whispered fiercely, gesturing to the metal chair.

"He's _not _a criminal."

"_They _think he is," said Ron.

"This is entirely absurd," Hermione hissed, shaking her head. Against her will, she followed Ron and Harry to seats on the outskirts of the room.

"The defense, Frederick Weasley?" questioned an interrogator. He was a stocky man with a black moustache and double chin.

Fred met his gaze and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He nodded his head a little.

"Yes."

Ron couldn't remember a time he ever saw Fred look that nervous or pale, except for maybe moments during the war. He felt sorry for Fred that he was even going through this.

_Fred of all people doesn't deserve this,_ thought Ron.

Harry was trying to locate Kingsley in the large grouping of Ministry workers.

"Do we have a witness for the defense?" asked the male interrogator.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood at once.

"Three?" A woman noted, clearly amused.

"Four." A deep voice filled the room. Many eyes darted around to find the source. Their eyes landed on a dark man, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Hermione felt her heart leap, as the minister of magic and one of the interrogators there was no way this could go badly.

"Five," another voice quipped and a ginger boy with glasses stood up. It was none other than Percy. Fred felt his lips curl at the sight of his older brother. He thought Percy had taken the day off for the family.

Fred was able to relax a little now.

"That's quite a lot of people," mumbled the female interrogator.

"This is ridiculous!" shouted the stocky man.

"We're calling this court to order," Kingsley boomed, talking over the other commotion in the room with ease. His eyes met Fred's for a moment and Fred would have sworn on Merlin that he saw the man wink.

"Now we're here because Verity LeShrew claims that the defendant, Frederick Weasley had attacked, kidnapped, and used a memory charm on her." Kingsley took a breath.

"However, is Verity here today in this room?" He asked. Everyone's head swiveled and craned looking for the girl.

"Well, no sir. You see, she's still unstable and needs to remain at St. Mungos." The other male replied meekly

"I see, and then how exactly do we know if she's correctly distinguishing her attacker?" asked Kingsley.

"Check his wand!" Hermione blurted out. Each head in the room snapped to her and she felt her face heat up.

"A good suggestion," Kingsley shrugged.

Fred's wand had been taken from his robe when he entered the courtroom and rested on a podium beside the Minister.

"It will be checked and returned to you within a day or two. It needs to be examined."

"He could have simply used another wand!" The mustached man scoffed loudly.

"Pollux, there is hardly any tangible reason for this boy to be here to begin with and you're continuing to make accusations against him." said Kingsley coolly.

"Sir, we've been with Fred everyday. He lives under the same roof as us. It's hard to believe that he could have kidnapped this girl, tortured her, and released her all while being in the same _room_ as us. Sir." Harry said pointedly to the mustached man who was apparently Pollux.

Fred shifted uncomfortably in his seat, as the room remained silent.

"Well then, until there is any real evidence for his case to be resumed Mr. Weasley is free to go," said Kingsley. Fred thought he saw a small smile on the man's lips, but if there was it was gone as soon as it came.

"However, your wand still needs to be checked for precaution. I hope you understand."

Fred shrugged then nodded. Hell he'd take being wand-less for a day or two over going to Azkaban. Hermione let out a small squeak as she rushed to Fred's side. Her arms wrapped around his waist. When she looked at his face he cocked an eyebrow. He could immediately see the blush creeping up her neck.

Her face felt like it was on fire. She couldn't remember a time when she had acted like a giddy little girl.

The courtroom had already started to clear once Kingsley blatantly dismissed the case. Ron was just thankful he hadn't needed to speak at all. Speaking in front of people was never one of his strong suits. It seemed to fit Harry better and he was glad Harry never seemed to mind doing it. It probably just came with the title of The Chosen One.

As a group they decided on taking the floo network home. Fred still wasn't talking much and they just figured he was still taking it all in. One by one they went through the floo and back to the burrow, popping up in the living room with the rest of the family. Most of them look like they had just woken up, while Mrs. Weasley looked like she had not slept since the night before. Hermione noticed that the presents still sat under the tree untouched. She felt warmed by the gesture.

"How did everything go?" Mrs. Weasley asked once Harry came out of the fireplace. He was the first one out and bombarded with all of the questions. Suddenly he regretted taking the powder first. With a deep breath he explained the trial and how it went. A weight seemed to lift off everyone's shoulders and the room had a much lighter feel to it now. When Fred finally entered the room he was attacked with hugs and kisses.

"Gerroff me!" He laughed, pushing Charlie off him.

"But little brother, we thought you were going to Azkaban!" Charlie smirked as he was pushed away.

"If I did I'd still be the most handsome one there," smirked Fred.

Hermione rolled her eyes and took a seat on the couch beside Ginny, who looked noticeably calmer than the day before.

"Well are we going to open presents, or what?" Ron complained.

"Fred almost goes to Azkaban and you just want to open presents, you're such a git." Ginny rolled her eyes and Harry handed her a present. Fred had grabbed his handful of presents and took a seat next to Hermione. It was then that Hermione remembered that he had given her a present earlier. She reached in her robe and pulled out the small octagon box. It was a curious shape and she couldn't figure out for the life of her what it was. Fred had tore through one of his presents to find a sweater his Mum made for him, again. It was dark blue but didn't have an initial on it this time.

"Mum, did you finally realize I know my name is Forge?" He raised his eyebrows at her with a mischievous grin on his face. For a moment no one was sure if Mrs. Weasley was going to cry or laugh and suddenly she cracked up and her laugh was contagious.

"How come his is blue?" Ron complained, holding up a light red sweater that almost looked pink. Harry snickered and looked over his black sweater. Everyone in the room had one, except Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione dear." Mrs. Weasley started, handing a present to Fred for Hermione.  
"You have one too."

Hermione looked at the wrapping and smiled, her name was scrawled neatly in the corner. She hadn't thought for a moment that she had gotten presents. It wasn't like she was part of the family. Gently, Hermione tore the wrapping away and reveled her own pale turquoise sweater. She admired how comfortable it looked and folded it neatly into her lap.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley." She said, beaming.

"Call me Molly, dear," corrected the older woman.

Hermione's smile grew. She couldn't remember being invited to call her Molly before, and felt more accepted into the family than ever.

"Are you going to open my present or just hold it?" Fred asked, nudging her in the side with the back of his hand.

"Oh!"

Hermione opened her hand and looked down at the box again. She curiously tossed it from hand to hand. She looked at Fred, then back at the box. Everyone else in the room seemed interested in the present as well.

"You're killing me," he complained, referring to how long she was taking to open it.

"Shush," she said.

The box gleamed when the light caught it. Just the box in general was beautiful and when she opened it her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. It was gorgeous, but she wasn't exactly sure what it was.

"Fred, what is this?"

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**Okay, so I really need a Beta Reader or someone to help me write this. I'm going to try & find one but if you're interested please be sure to let me know. Thanks for reading guys! Please review(: **


	18. Crash and Tumble

**A/N: Sorry this took so long guys, enjoy!**

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Hermione turned the pendant over in her hand, studying it. It was a Gryffindor lion. It puzzled her. Of all the things she thought he might buy her, she wasn't expecting jewelry. It was extremely pretty though, and although it was something she wouldn't have typically bought for herself, she couldn't help but admire it.

"Fred?" She asked, searching for an explanation.

"It's the only thing I could think of that you and I share, since we're so different," He half-smiled, trying to figure out if she hated it.

"I love it, it's pretty." His smile grew at that she didn't hate the gift. He didn't imagine her the type of girl that would hate anything that someone got her, but he still wanted her to really like it. His stomach settled as she put the necklace on.

"It's _really_ pretty, Fred," she said, playing with it around her neck.

Fred was beaming while he opened another present in his lap. It was from his father. Fred ran his fingers over the shiny metal of the watch. His father had passed him down a watch that he previously wore almost daily. The smile on Fred's face couldn't get any bigger if he tried.

Mr. Weasley's smile matched that of his son's. He wanted Fred to have something special. Although the family went through a great loss he knew it hit Fred the hardest.

"Thank you, Dad" Fred said. Arthur sat trying to remember the last time Fred seemed so mature. He had changed so much recently that it was like having a new Weasley all together. He was much more careful and took on so many of George's traits that it was almost as like George lived in him.

"Open mine!" Hermione nudged him in the arm and pointed to a large square present on Fred's side.

"If I must," he winked.

Fred looked it over thoughtfully, and took the heavy gift in his hands. It was one of the largest, so he was of course saving it for last. It weighed a ton too and he was wondering what in the hell she had gotten him.

"Did you buy me rocks?" he joked.

Ginny leaned over to see what it was, clearly interested still in the new couple.

Hermione was tapping her foot nervously on the ground. She wasn't sure what she would do if he didn't like it, and she had gotten it before they were technically dating so it wasn't exactly romantic. In her head she was going through the worst scenarios and it seemed like ages until all the wrapping was finally off.

Fred didn't know what to make of the gift at first, but hugged Hermione in thanks. The present was a typical Hermione gift. It was a collection of all sorts of books. There was a book about potions, a joke book, and a few about random things like nifty spells and decoration ideas. The Decoration Ideas was a Muggle book, and Hermione felt he could use it for the design of his products if he ever ran out of ideas. He flipped through the Muggle book first, amused how none of the photographs were moving and everything seemed so lifeless, yet pretty. He peered up at her from the book; a smile was creeping across his lips.

"This is really great, you know that?" He said in a voice that instantly made her relax.

She realized that everyone was watching them now, and her body started to feel hot.

"Uhm, I'm glad you like it, Fred," she replied.

He noticed the lovely shade of pink tinting her cheeks and wanted to snog her right then and there, but instead raised his eyebrows at his family as if to say 'do you mind?'.

Everyone turned and resumed to chatting and opening the remaining presents as if nothing happened. Fred rolled his eyes and Hermione couldn't help but snort in laughter.

Outside a thin layer of snow coated the yard. Harry pointed out the window at the scattered flakes falling from the sky.

"Look!" He said.

"I wish there was more," chirped Ginny.

"We could go sledding!" Hermione exclaimed, and everyone got quiet.

"What?" Ron asked, crinkling his face.

"You've never been sledding?" Harry looked at the others in surprise.

He and Hermione shared a knowing look with one another. Harry hadn't been sledding many times. He only had gone once or twice when Dudley left his sled in the yard. Harry would be able to sneak away with it when everyone was inside.

"What eez it?" Fleur asked, interested in the activity. She had never heard of it before either.

"Is it a sport?" Bill cocked his head.

Hermione shook her head and let out a small laugh. It was hard being a part of two worlds sometimes.

"It's silly, really," Hermione pursed her lips and looked to Harry, hoping he could help her explain. Her hands were pushed nervously in her lap.

Mr. Weasley was nearing the edge of his seat to listen to this new Muggle activity. His attention was undivided even as his wife tried to get him to help her in the kitchen.

"Well, you sit on a sled and ride it down a slope," Harry's eyebrows kneaded. There wasn't a way to explain sledding and make it sound any fun.

"A sled?" Bill and Fred questioned simultaneously.

Fred shot his older brother a smirk.

"It's like a piece of plastic that you sit on…" Hermione looked around for a way to explain further. There wasn't anything in the room that resembled a sled.

Harry got an idea and went to the kitchen, coming back with the lid of a pot.

"That's brilliant, Harry," said Hermione, wondering why she hadn't thought of that herself.

"A sled kind of looks like this, without the handle." Harry tried to explain, rotating the lid with his wand.

Fred's eyebrows were raised and Bill was looking at the lid from different angles.

"Why do Muggles do that?" asked Fred wondering if they were joking or not.

"It's fun," Hermione pouted and Fred's expression changed instantly.

"We could try it!" He said, up for anything that didn't involve sitting inside all day.

"There's not enough snow," said Hermione.

"But we have magic, love."

Fred helped her up from the couch and led her into the kitchen. Bill shrugged at Fleur and followed his younger brother with his wife in toe, asking his dad a question before leaving the room.

"Are you coming too, Ron?" Ginny asked, standing up with Harry.

"I'm not just going to sit here by myself," he grumbled, striding ahead of her and Harry.

Fred grabbed his scarf and Hermione's as he walked out the doorway.

"This better be fun," he winked and leaned down to place a light kiss on her forehead. Loosely, he wrapped the scarf around her. She noticed a smile never seemed to leave his face.

"Now what?" Ginny asked, looking around at all the flat land.

"We could go to that hill when we went to the Quidditch game," suggested Harry.

Hermione thought it was a great idea and now that they could all disapparate, it would take no time at all.

With a crack they each appeared at the top of the steep hill. Thankfully no one was splinched, although everyone checked thoroughly. It had thankfully been awhile since Ron lost part of an eyebrow or something.

Unlike the house, there was a lot of snow on the hill, most likely because of the higher altitude. Hermione cringed at the thought of them trekking up it.

"Wait, what are we using for a sleigh?" Harry asked.

"What's a sle-" Hermione clapped her hand over Fred's mouth before he could finish the question.

Ron found it extremely amusing.

"Bill took zeese," said Fleur, gesturing to two large lid shaped objects.

"What is it?" asked Harry.

"They were in the house, something Dad brought home awhile ago. I don't know what he was planning to do with them, but I thought of it when you showed us the pot lid," said Bill, tying back his hair.

"I told you that was brilliant," Hermione grinned, wondering if the makeshift sleds would work.

"Let's try it!" Shouted Fred, who took the 'sled' from Hermione and tossed it onto the snow. It started to slide a little, and that reassured her that it might actually work.

"We should race!" Exclaimed Fred.

"If this works," Hermione laughed and on the front of the sled. Fred sat himself behind her with his legs on either side of her. He slipped his arm around her waist.  
"Harry, we'll totally beat you and Ginny!" He challenged, scooting the sled to the edge of the slope.

Hermione got an idea and grabbed her wand from her robe, pointing it at the unoccupied sled.

"Geminio," she said, duplicating the sled once, then again so everyone could ride at once.

"Wicked," grinned Fred.

While the others situated themselves he traced his fingers along her side deviously. She swatted his hand making him laugh.

"You're not going to be laughing when we beat you," said Harry.

"You might beat Fred but I'm beating all of you," Ron smirked.

Hermione rolled her eyes as the boys continued challenging each other. Ginny even started to get in on it before Hermione made it a point to loudly clear her throat.

"Okay, Ready! Set!" She started, peering back at Fred.

"Go!"

Each sled was quickly propelling down the hill and much to his dismay, Fred was not in the lead. Bill and Fleur were ahead and Fred refused to lose to his older brother. No one had said anything about rules so he thought to himself for a moment before getting an idea. He reached in his robe and pulled out his wand. Silently, he produced a spell that rocketed them down the hill at almost double the speed they were going before. It was something he used in the making of his store's Whizz-Bangs.

Hermione's mouth flew open and she screamed. Her stomach lurched at the increase in speed and they flew past the others in a blur.

"That's not going to be good," said Harry, watching the blur of Fred and Hermione as they passed.

"Bloody hell, Fred." Ron said loudly, yet no one seemed to hear him.

"And that's cheating!"

He noticed that Fred and Hermione didn't seem to be stopping. Ron skidded his sled to a halt near the bottom on the hill and watched on as they continued at a steady speed. He couldn't help but think of how stupid his brother was sometimes.

"Fred!" yelled Hermione; tears were pricking the corners of her eyes.

His legs were at the side of the sled and he kicked them down hard to stop them. Hermione had opened her mouth to tell him not to, but was too late. The couple flew forward from the sled and tumbled. Fred hit the ground hard and heard a slight crack. He wasn't sure if it was his own body or his girlfriend's. When he stopped rolling he popped up from the ground quickly, taking into account that he didn't break anything.

That only meant Hermione was hurt.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly and the words jumbled together.

She was laying flat on her back in the snow, unsure as to what the crack was. The rest of the group had rushed to her side by this point and were all talking at once. Everyone's words were mixing together and she felt extremely tired all of a sudden.

"I'm so sorry Hermione. What hurts?" Fred desperately tried to speak slower, but it was still hard to understand. His voice sounded deeper than she remembered.

"Nothing," She said, only it was hardly audible to everyone else.

"I heard a crack."

Fred scanned her body and lightly traced her arms and legs with his hands; feeling for any bumps or breaks.

"I think I'm okay," said Hermione slowly. Her own voice sounded deep in her head.

"I don't think you are," Ginny was looking at Hermione's face and expressions. She noticed her eyes and gestured to them.

"Her pupils are dilated," said Harry.

"Mum's going to kill me," Fred whimpered, taking Hermione's hands.

"Can we move her?" asked Ron, surveying her once again.

"It should be fine," confirmed Harry and with that, Fred stood and scooped her up with him.

"Let's get her back to the house." Bill said, smacking Fred in the back of the head roughly.

"You're such a git, Fred." Ron mumbled, glancing at Hermione ever so often. He tried to be subtle about it, hoping that nothing was wrong with her. It didn't seem bad, but he got an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

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**Okay there ya go! This wasn't one of my best but I def. need help & motivation, so please review if you can! Thanks, it means so much especially from my faithful reviewers. **


	19. Feeling the Guilt

"What happened?"

The second the lot entered the house Mrs. Weasley was bounding into the kitchen. Maybe it was a motherly instinct that let her know something happened or maybe she should be taking over Professor Trelawney's job.

"What happened?" She shrilled again, coming face to face with Hermione in Fred's arms.

"Frederick Weasley what have you done!"

He almost opened his mouth in protest, if it weren't for the fact that he had actually done something. The tips of his ears were red in the famous Weasley blush. In a few strides he was in the living room and he placed Hermione gently on the couch. His stomach was twisting while he hoped nothing was extremely wrong with her.

"Fred's an idiot, they crashed." Bill said, kneeling down and looking over Hermione. Working for Gringotts didn't prepare him much for anything medical. He knew he was completely useless and backed off for his mother to assist instead.

"What _were_ you thinking, Fred?" Mrs. Weasley huffed while checking Hermione's head. Her hair was so bushy that it took twice as long to scan her entire head.

"Is she okay?" Fred asked anxiously, taking one of Hermione's small hands in his.

"There are no breaks," Mrs. Weasley's voice was uncertain as she said it though.

"What was the crack then?" Harry stood perplexed. It was unsettling staring at his best friend unconscious on a couch.

"Why isn't she waking up?" groaned Fred, nudging her in the arm.

"Maybe it's just a concussion," offered Harry.

"I'll get something for her," Mrs. Weasley said before disappearing from the room.

Fred was seated on the floor beside the couch. His ears were still hot and he felt like a complete git. Ron stood awkwardly beside him, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"How long do you think before she'll wake up?" Ginny asked quietly.

"'Opefully not too long, poor girl." sighed Fleur, sitting beside her husband across the room.

Fred couldn't remember a time that he felt more humiliated. It was something he would have done with George and clearly hadn't been thinking. Mentally he scolded himself. Even though Hermione could hold her own, she still was fragile. The thought made him snort. She would have smacked him if he every said that out loud.

Harry shot him a questioning look but he ignored it.

"I can't believe you did that," Ron muttered, setting up a game of Wizards Chess.

"Ron, I don't feel bad enough. Can you maybe make me feel worse?" Fred asked sarcastically. Ron grumbled a few other choice words that Fred ignored. He was getting good at this whole ignoring thing.

Mrs. Weasley had come back into the room and tended to Hermione once again. She was frustrated that Fred was in her way, but when he refused to move she was relived as well. He seemed to feel extremely guilty about what he had done and she could see how much he loved her.

Eventually everyone left Hermione alone to go eat dinner in the kitchen. Ron and Harry were more reluctant to leave but their hunger had gotten the best of them. Fred, however, didn't leave. He remained by her side, occasionally playing with her fingers or kissing her knuckles. When he was sure no one was in earshot he would talk to her, coaxing her unconscious mind to wake up. He hoped that she hadn't bumped her head too hard. His stomach was sick and felt knotted up again. The thought of her having any complications in waking up or after waking up made him almost feel faint. It was set in his mind now how careful he would be with her from now on.

"Please wake up, love," he whispered again, placing a soft kiss near her temple. He shifted to his knees and leaned over her body slightly. The rise and fall of her chest made him almost smile. She just looked like she was soundly sleeping and for all he knew, she was.

Bill entered the room a little after dinner with a plate stocked high of steaming meats, vegetables, and gravy.

"Did I ever tell you you're my _favorite_ brother?" asked Fred, reaching out for the plate. His stomach was roaring in hunger.

"Who ever said this was for you?" smirked Bill.

Fred took the plate regardless. He had to let go of Hermione's hand to eat and he felt a little guilty.

"She'll be fine, mate," said Bill, settling himself into an armchair. He toyed with the small hole in the arm. It looked like a wand had gone through it at some point.

Harry entered the room as Fred was finishing the plate.

"You're like a vacuum," said Harry.

Fred cocked an eyebrow and set the plate aside.

"What?"

He hadn't the slightest idea what a vacuum was.

"Never mind," mumbled Harry.

"I'm going to go upstairs, I'm completely spent."

Fred watched Harry jog up the stairs for a moment before returning his attention to Hermione. He thought about bringing her up to her bed as well. What he really wanted to do was put her in his bed, but he couldn't imagine his mother being all right with that. Hell, he was wondering when his mother was going to have his bollocks for hurting Hermione in the first place, accident or not.

"How long have you loved her?" asked Bill, glancing at his younger brother with an amused expression.

"Years."

Fred's bum was starting to hurt from the hard floor and he couldn't take sitting there anymore. He took a seat on the couch by her feet. He lifted them and let her legs down so they rest on his lap.

"You're so different than her," commented Bill, remembering the brainy perfectionist that was at his house only a year before.

"Opposites attract, dear brother," he smirked.

Bill simply shrugged and left Fred to his thoughts. What if they were _too_ different for it to work? It would be hard to imagine her not being in his life. Marriage hadn't really crossed his mind, but he mused over it now. Life wouldn't be bad at all with her and she would really make a perfect wife. A smile played on his lips at the thought and he slipped into daydreams about Hermione all pregnant bellied and barefoot padding through the loft.

When Ron entered the room his mouth twisted at the sight of a clearly daydreaming Fred.

"Oi, Fred!"

Fred's head snapped up and met the eyes of his younger brother. He glowered at him for a moment, completely ripped from his daydream. Ron had a satisfied smirk on his face after pulling his brother from the daze.

"Want to play?" asked Ron, gesturing to the Wizards Chess set.

"Only if you want to lose," bantered Fred.

Ron snorted and pulled a chair up to the set. With a flick of his wand the pieces straightened and whirled to their positions. Fred did the same seemingly bored. He ordered a pawn out first, then when Ron moved he ordered out his queen. The smirk on Ron's face let Fred know that he was going to fall for the trap. Fred was white, so it would take him three turns to win. Ron had never been very good at this game. Well, he was good, but not as good as Fred. When Ron's piece moved out to position to take the queen Fred's grin was mischievous. The younger Weasley's eyes were wide and he was completely clueless. It was now Fred's third turn, and Ron had fallen for his Fools Mate. Fred put Ron into checkmate with a satisfied expression.

"You're an arse, you know that?" Ron's lips were pressed into a tight line and he pushed himself away from the coffee table. He mumbled to himself under his breath as he gathered the board and pieces.

"Dad, play chess with me," Ron called, leaving Fred alone with Bill and an unconscious Hermione once again.

Fred had failed to notice Bill laughing silently as Ron left.

"How big of an idiot was he to fall for that?" laughed the older Weasley.

"Apparently a huge one," snorted Fred.

"I have to leave though, I'm sorry I can't stay," said Bill, rising from the chair at the sight of his wife in the kitchen doorway.

"Fleur needs to rest."

The look on Bill's face made Fred feel like the older brother was hiding something. Bill only laughed at his brother's confused expression, and started towards the archway of the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas Freddie," he said, before heading into the kitchen to bid farewell to the remaining family. Fred let out a slow breath and turned to Hermione.

"Let me get you to bed," he muttered.

Gently, he lifted her legs off him and stood. In a fluid motion he scooped her up into his arms. He had forgotten how incredibly light she was.

_Maybe I should make you eat more, _He mused.

His stomach still lurched at the fact she hadn't stirred or woken up yet. As he carried her up the stairs to Ginny's room he was extra careful to be graceful and not jostle her around. When he reached his sister's room he pushed the door open with his foot and entered. Ginny was nowhere to be found so she was either downstairs still or with Harry. Fred shook off the latter thought with the feeling to vomit. He laid Hermione down on the bed as gently as he could manage.

"You need to wake up soon, love," said Fred. "You're worrying me."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead. Fred thought about staying, but he needed to get to the shop tomorrow to open up. It would only be him and he wasn't sure how he was going to manage it alone. He got an idea of asking Ron and decided it was his best bet. With another glance at Hermione he slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him. He would check on her again before he went to bed. Fred had been gone for a little over thirty minutes when Hermione was finally starting to stir. The headache she had felt like someone was drumming her head.

_What happened to me?_ She thought, rubbing her right eye with her fist.

Her head was still whirling and she wasn't sure where she was. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes from the pain and there were great lapses in memory. She wasn't sure what she did today and how she got here. Being alone was also starting to scare her. When Hermione tried to stand up she fell back onto the bed. The motion of standing was too much for her head and the room started to spin. She tried to remain as calm as possible so she didn't upset her head any further. A weightless thumping up the stairs could be heard and she perked up. It was too light for Fred.

"Hello?" She croaked, her throat felt raspy and cracked. She hadn't even noticed the feeling before.

Hermione placed her hand against the wall trying to steady her head. The walking quickened and a crack of light shone into the room from the hallway. It made her head feel like it was going to split.

"You're awake?"

It was Ginny that entered the room and the younger girl wasn't sure if she should rush and tell Fred or stay with Hermione. She decided to stay and reached the bed that Hermione was seated on.

"How is your head?"

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, wishing the pain in her head would cease.

"Dreadful," Hermione's voice was still raspy.

Ginny muttered a water spell into a glass in the room and handed it to Hermione.

"Drink this," she ordered.

The brunette drank it gratefully, choking a little as she finished the glass.

"Hell Hermione, Fred got you good didn't he?"

"Fred did?"

She just couldn't remember what happened to her, but it apparently had to do with Fred. It made her angry. Her boyfriend, who was supposed to protect her, was the one that made her feel like this.

"Yeah, he tried to win and you guys fell off the…the uh… whatever it was and you hit your head. There was a crack but we don't know what it was. Don't you remember?"

Ginny's eyes widened in concern and she leaned toward Hermione a bit, trying to make out the other girl's face in the dark room.

"No, I don't remember hitting my head."

More light entered the room as a stockier figure came through the door.

"You're awake!" The relief in Fred's voice was detectable.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably, unsure how Hermione was going to react to him being in the room.

"You did this to me, Fred?" Hermione asked.

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**I like reviews, you should review (: oh! & I'm still looking for someone to help me with this story. If you want please let me know, thanks! **


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